Psychiatrist declared Carthy fit to have gun

A PSYCHIATRIST who treated John Carthy declared him fit to have a firearm after his GP refused to help get his shotgun back from gardaí because of concern over his mental state.

Dr Patrick Cullen only found out Mr Carthy had the gun the day he was called to an armed siege at his home.

The first day of witness testimony at the tribunal of inquiry into the shooting dead of Mr Carthy, aged 26, by gardaí at his home in Abbeylara, Co Longford, in April 2000, heard evidence of a failure of communication between a number of people involved in the decision to return the seized gun.

Dr Cullen, who had treated Mr Carthy for manic depression for six years, told the tribunal Mr Carthy asked him in autumn 1998 to support him in getting the gun back, by which he understood he wanted a letter of recommendation for the gardaí.

“My reply to him was that if in the event that he became unwell and the guards needed to get the gun back off him, what would he feel about that? His reply was that the guards would have to take the gun off him.”

Dr Cullen was surprised to discover Mr Carthy had a gun in the first place and told him he would not assist him in getting it back.

But on October 13, 1998, Mr Carthy’s psychiatrist, Dr David Shanley, of St Patrick’s Hospital, Dublin, wrote to gardaí in Granard, Co Longford, stating while he had been treated for depression, he was now “fit to use a firearm”.

Dr Shanley, who has yet to give evidence, wrote: “Should the situation change, the GP will be in touch with your office.” Dr Cullen said he was told nothing about this development.

Dr Cullen said while he was on holiday at the end of October 1998, Granard gardaí rang his surgery to inquire about Mr Carthy but the locum covering for him told them they would have to talk to Dr Cullen when he returned, but they never called back.