Garda again accused of 'not answering'

Garda negotiator Det Insp Michael Jackson has been accused, for a second day running at the Barr tribunal, of refusing to answer questions in relation to the Abbeylara siege.

Mr Michael O'Higgins, representing the family of the late Mr John Carthy, said Det Insp Jackson had "a policy of not answering questions", and had demonstrated an unwillingness to answer his questions in particular.

Mr O'Higgins' claim comes the day after the chairman of the tribunal, Mr Justice Barr, accused Det Insp Jackson of failing to answer whether Garda panic would have contributed to the risk of crossfire at the time Mr Carthy was shot dead.

Yesterday Mr O'Higgins asked Det Insp Jackson what, with the benefit of hindsight, he would have done differently during the Abbeylara siege.

"That's a question I have not contemplated to any huge degree. I find it impossible to answer," Det Insp Jackson said.

Surely it was a question Det Insp Jackson had asked himself since Mr Carthy's death, Mr O'Higgins asked.

Det Insp Jackson said he had "not reached that stage" of analysis. "I don't think I would do myself justice or your good self justice or the tribunal justice without putting long hard thought into it."

Mr Justice Barr said he understood Det Insp Jackson's difficulty in answering the question, and that it was his function as chairman to determine what might have been done differently.

However, Mr O'Higgins said, it was indicative of the negotiator's unwillingness to answer questions. "He has continuously adopted a policy of not answering questions. Ultimately, when this matter comes to an end, we will be submitting that he has shown an unwillingness or an inability to address my questions."

Earlier, Insp Jackson defended his decision not to contact Mr Carthy's former girlfriend during the siege. A previous witness to the tribunal, former British police negotiator Mr Michael Burdis, had questioned why the woman, who had a recent relationship with Mr Carthy, was not asked if she could shed any light on the events at Abbeylara.

Det Insp Jackson told counsel for the tribunal, Mr Ray Comyn, that he had been asked by the family not to mention the woman.