Serious crime suspects abusing right to silence - O'Dea

SUSPECTS BEING questioned about serious crime are "of course" abusing their right to silence, Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea said yesterday.

Addressing calls for the introduction of more legislation to tackle gangland crime, the Minister said that there was no doubt that the right to silence was being abused "but you have to find a balance".

He said there was no point in giving gardaí new powers if a judge was then going to strike out a case because constitutional rights were being infringed.

He said he believed that a number of amendments to the law were being considered "to tilt the balance against criminals" but it was a painstaking process.

The Limerick TD was speaking from Brussels about the death of Limerick rugby player Shane Geoghegan. Gardaí believe that Mr Geoghegan's killers mistook him for a gangland criminal they were sent to murder.

"I'm absolutely shocked and horrified at this," Mr O'Dea said. There was a "palpable sense of shock" in Limerick that an innocent man could be gunned down in such a fashion.

"I don't know where it's going, but I sincerely hope it won't lead to an escalation in attacks."

He said he had "every confidence" that gardaí in Limerick would track down the people responsible because of their record in dealing with serious crime.

"You don't need any new legislation to put away the people responsible here," he said.

"It's a matter of apprehending the perpetrators and putting them away in accordance with the legislation."

He said the number of Garda personnel in Limerick had increased significantly in the past year, and it included the Emergency Response Unit and undercover patrols.

"But gardaí cannot be everywhere all the time to prevent crime before it happens," the Minister added.