THE DEPARTMENT of Justice is to bar senior State officials from featuring in television documentaries following controversy over a TV series centred on State Pathologist Marie Cassidy.
The State Pathologist was the subject of the Death Dutiesseries last year, in which she was interviewed and which examined some of her best-known cases, including the death of Dublin teenager Brian Murphy outside Annabel's nightclub.
However, the portrayal of the case provoked sharp complaints from Mr Murphy's family, who forced the programme-makers to make some changes before the relevant episode was aired.
Now, the Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan, has said that the Department of Justice would not facilitate the making of any similar such documentaries in future.
In a written Dáil reply this week, the Minister said while the department had given permission to Dr Cassidy to take part in the programme, it had not had editorial control over its contents.
"The department was assured by the production company that next of kin had been contacted in those instances where individual cases featured, in light of the sensitive nature of the material.
"In one such instance, and shortly before broadcast, one of the families in question did contact the department expressing dissatisfaction with the extent to which their concerns had been taken on board by the production company.
"Our understanding is that there was further subsequent interaction between the company and the family in question with a view to resolving those concerns, but the department was not a party to those discussions," the Minister said.
Later in his statement Mr Lenihan said: "For the sake of completeness, I should add that the decision to facilitate the programme makers. . . with access to the State Pathologist was taken some years ago.
"I do not envisage a programme of this character being facilitated in future."
Questioned about the brutal death of Brian Murphy, Prof Cassidy said she believed the teenager, from Clonskeagh, Dublin, died from head injuries combined with the effects of alcohol.
His parents, Denis and Mary, in reply, said Dublin city coroner Dr Brian Farrell and the jury at their son's inquest had "rejected" Dr Cassidy's evidence in finding that the teenager was unlawfully killed.
Yesterday, the Department of Justice said Prof Cassidy was "not the target" of the Minister in his reply, which was directed at the documentary makers.
"She would not have been happy with the way that she was portrayed either, but there isn't much that you can do about it after you have done an interview."
