Ahern apologises to Keegan family

MINISTER for Justice Dermot Ahern reiterated his apology to the family of Noel Keegan, who died after being assaulted by a man who should have been in prison at the time of the attack.

Mr Ahern also told the Dáil that all the recommendations by Inspector of Prisons Judge Michael Reilly for immediate action had been fully implemented.

Mr Keegan (58), had a serious heart condition and died just minutes after he was assaulted on December 31st, 2009, in Longford, by Martin McDonagh from Edgeworthstown, who should have been in prison serving a four-year jail term at the time.

Judge Reilly’s report criticised a number of serious failings in the courts, the prison and probation services and the Garda. Mr Ahern said “the secretary general of my department has met the heads of all the agencies” to “emphasise the seriousness with which this matter should be treated”.

Mr Ahern said “no Minister can stand before this House and give guarantees that systems will not fail – people will always make mistakes”. However, very serious errors were made in this case and his department “is doing everything in its power to address these failings across the criminal justice system”.

Fine Gael justice spokesman Alan Shatter said the Minister should make an unequivocal apology to the family on behalf of the State, because it was a “catastrophic failure of State agencies”.

Labour justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte said the “handling of warrants in Circuit Court offices is not the Minister’s personal responsibility, but this is yet another monumental administrative cock-up within the most secretive and hide-bound department of State and with the most serious consequences”. Sinn Féin justice spokesman Aengus Ó Snodaigh welcomed the inspector’s report, which showed “progress has been made, but it is a pity it took the appalling death of Mr Noel Keegan for changes to be made”.