AGSI 'implacably' against freeing McCabe gang

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) said this afternoon it remained "implacably" opposed to the release of the killers of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe.

The men were jailed for killing Det Garda McCabe (52) and seriously injuring his colleague Det Ben Sullivan during a botched raid in Adare on June 7th, 1996. Pearse McAuley, Jeremiah Sheehy, Kevin Walsh and Michael O'Neill are currently serving between 11 and 14 years in Castlerea Prison.

In a statement released after a meeting between AGSI representatives and the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, this afternoon, the organisation said its position has always been that the four man gang should serve their full sentences.

"We had a frank discussion with the Minister about speculation about the possible release of these people as part of an overall settlement of the Northern Ireland situation," said association president Mr Joe Dirwan. "We repeated our strong conviction that they should not be released under any circumstances.

"We also told him that we deplored the stress and pain being caused to Mrs Anne McCabe by the regular raising of this issue without any apparent consultation with her."

The Taoiseach told the Dáil last week he had "no alternative" but to free the four men under a deal struck with with Sinn Féin to restore devolution to Northern Ireland.

Mr McDowell insisted yesterday the killers would be freed only after "a total end to paramilitarism, a total end to criminality, and a total decommissioning of weapons".

Yesterday, the Garda Representative Association condemned the Government for including the gang's release in any deal with Sinn Féin.

"Guns should not be put to the head of the Garda Representative Association or Ann McCabe on this issue," said Mr Paul Browne, the Limerick representative on the GRA central executive committee.

"The mistake, in my view, was made by the Government in putting this on the agenda with Sinn Féin when they knew full well that they should not because they had struck a deal with the GRA and, most importantly, with the McCabe family."

Last week Mrs McCabe she was devastated by the news of the possible release. "Who is running our Government - Sinn Féin, or the IRA, or Bertie Ahern?" she asked.

Fine Gael leader Mr Enda Kenny insisted this morning the release of the McCabe killers is not part of the Belfast Agreement. "How it got on to the agenda with a negotiator as skilled and experienced as the Taoiseach is beyond me," he said.

"[Mr Ahern] said 'no' in the beginning and he should have the strength and sovereign leadership to stand by that. These people were disowned by the republican movement when Jerry McCabe was shot down in defence of his country."

Sinn Féin chairman Mr Mitchel McLaughlin said that he "did not want to make Mrs McCabe's suffering any worse," but that under the Belfast Agreement, the four men were entitled to be freed.