Gardai laughed, smoked at scene, witness claims

THE BARR TRIBUNAL: Gardaí were seen "laughing and smoking" as they attended the scene of the death of Mr John Carthy after he was shot by gardaí, a witness at the tribunal alleged yesterday.

Mr Pat McLoughlin - a stone mason from Edgeworthstown, Co Longford, and a friend of Mr Carthy - told the tribunal that on the evening of April 20th, 2000, approximately 10 minutes after Mr Carthy's killing, he witnessed a squad car travelling in the direction of Abbeylara. Four or five gardaí could be seen laughing and smoking cigarettes in the squad car, he said.

"I was standing about 50 metres from the house [Mr Carthy's] at Crawford's corner when the squad car passed. There were four or five gardaí in the car and they were all laughing and some were smoking cigarettes, going to where Johnny was shot. It was in very bad taste."

Mr McLoughlin said he and the other locals gathered at the corner had been very upset. They were never offered any counselling, he added.

The chairman of the tribunal, Mr Justice Barr, put it to Mr McLoughlin that he could not have known what the gardaí in the car had been talking about.

He admitted he did not, but he said: "It looked very, very poor. Johnny was lying dead and it gave a poor impression of the gardaí."

Mr McLoughlin and Mr Carthy had been working together building the house of Mr McLoughlin's brother Brendan on the Friday before the shooting. Mr Carthy seemed "in good form, in his usual good spirits", Mr McLoughlin told the tribunal.

However, by the next day Mr Carthy's mood had changed considerably, he said. "He was aggravated." Mr Carthy told Mr McLoughlin he had a second gun in the house, and was "bantering about the neighbours", Mr McLoughlin said. "He said he was going to shoot a heap of them." Mr McLoughlin said he didn't take the threat seriously.

Mr McLoughlin met Mr Carthy again on the following Monday. Mr Carthy looked "a bit drawn" and hung-over and became very aggressive when Mr McLoughlin told him he should not be drinking as Mr McLoughlin knew he was on medication.

Mr Brendan Mc agreed Mr Carthy was "looking chalkish" and he was surprised by his agressive behaviour.