McCabe family critical of notice over release

The widow of Det Garda Jerry McCabe has criticised the decision to release one of the men jailed for killing her husband without informing her first, according to relatives.

Ann McCabe was not told in advance about the release of Jeremiah Sheehy and found out about it when she read Sunday's newspapers, a family spokesman said.

He was released from Castlerea Prison yesterday morning having served eight years of a 12-year sentence for the manslaughter of Det Garda McCabe.

He was given the standard remission of a third of his sentence for good behaviour.

A Department of Justice spokeswoman for the said arrangements were made for members of the McCabe and O'Sullivan families to be notified by gardaí over the weekend of the impending release, and a member of each immediate family was notified.

But the Department declined to comment exactly when this contact was made.

Det Garda McCabe's brother-in-law, Pat Kearney, said the McCabe family was only told of the release when a garda rang to tell one of Mrs McCabe's sons at 2pm on Sunday, several hours after they found out about it in the newspapers.

Mr Kearney said it was bad-mannered and disrespectful that Mrs McCabe first found out about it through the newspapers. "She got no message from anyone of any sort. Her son got a message at 2pm yesterday and that's where she learned about it.

"A simple letter to Ann to alert her that he was coming out on a certain day was all we were asking for," he said.

Mr Kearney said Mrs McCabe needed to know because Sheehy, who is originally from Rathkeale, Co Limerick, lives just 20 miles from her, and there was a chance she would see him on the street.

He said lessons needed to be learned before the release in August next year of Kevin Walsh, who lived just five miles from Mrs McCabe in Patrickswell, Co Limerick. He and Pearse McAuley, from Strabane, Co Tyrone, are finishing their 14-year sentence for the manslaughter of Det Garda McCabe.

Det Garda McCabe was shot 14 times during an aborted raid on a post office in Adare, Co Limerick, on June 7th, 1996.

Sheehy was one of four men jailed for the killing.

Fine Gael's justice spokesman Alan Shatter said the failure to inform Mrs McCabe in person was "appalling".

Speaking yesterday, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he understood there was a pre-existing arrangement where the McCabe family was to be notified.

"The Prison Service and the gardaí contact the families. That's how I understand it," he said.

Sheehy is the second person convicted of the killing of Det Garda McCabe to be released from jail.

Last year Michael O'Neill, who served eight years of his 11-year sentence for manslaughter, became the first to be released.

Mrs McCabe was personally informed by the then minister for Justice Michael McDowell of his release.

"Ann and her family are not going to allow these criminals to impact or invade their lives anymore," Mr Kearney said.