Letters

Murder of Garda Donohoe

Sir, – The murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe should emphasise the need for a re-evaluation of how this country deals with violent…

Sat Feb 02 2013 - 00:00

Sir, – The murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe should emphasise the need for a re-evaluation of how this country deals with violent criminals.

Anyone convicted by a jury of killing another person with a gun while in the act of committing a robbery, burglary or assault should be sentenced to a mandatory term of life in prison – with no remission of any part of that sentence and with no early release for any reason.

Anyone convicted by a jury of injuring another person with a gun while committing a robbery, burglary or assault should be sentenced to a minimum term of 25 years in prison – with no remission of any part of that sentence and with no early release for any reason; the convicted person should also face additional prison time for the other aspects of the crime. Anyone convicted by a jury of the illegal possession of a gun should be sentenced to a minimum term of 10 years in prison – with no remission of any part of that sentence and no early release for any reason.

Society has the right and obligation to do all it can within the framework of the law to protect its citizens and to protect those who serve as our protectors. – Yours, etc,

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DAN DONOVAN,

Shandon Street,

Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

Sir, – It is good that the country joined as one to mourn the sad death of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe, so cruelly murdered in the line of duty.

One wonders if the pursuit of those killers and the search for justice would have been all that much compromised if the church ceremonies had included a reference to forgiveness, and love – and if it had been possible to include the killers among those prayed for (as in Christianity)? One wonders also how a savage mandatory 40-year sentence without prospect of parole is expected to encourage those who know the killers (and they cannot but be known in a small community) to give the killers up. Are we going to sacrifice justice for the sake of vengeance? – Yours, etc,

PAT HENNESSY,

Balkill Park, Howth,

Dublin 13.

Sir, – I am puzzled by the intention to cut the police force from 14,400 to 13,000 while TDs will only be cut by eight out of 166. I’m sure if one were to ask the person on the street which would they rather have, more gardaí or more TDs, the answer would be the former.

Indeed, sometimes I wonder if we need any TDs. They certainly haven’t served us well.

Our gardaí have a truly thankless and dangerous job, putting their own lives at risk in many cases, although we don’t hear about it unless or until they are killed.

The Government has told us that we are all in this together. Clearly some are in it more than others! – Yours, etc,

RÓISÍN GLYNN-STEED,

Cnoc an Oir,

Rahoon,

Galway.

I did so in the context of the murder of Garda Donohoe. Republicans were not involved in the killing of Adrian Donohoe. That much is clear. But there is a need to address the fact that republicans killed other gardaí.

That is what I tried to do in a genuine and sincere way.

Garda McCabe was the last garda to be killed. Contrary to the media line – including in your columns – I had apologised on previous occasions. The last time was in 2009 when I expressed my deep regret for “the great loss and hurt suffered by the McCabe and O Sullivan families”. In my remarks in the Dáil I also apologised to the families of other members of the Garda and the Defence Forces who were killed in the course of the conflict.

All these families, like so many others who were bereaved as a consequence of the conflict in the North have suffered great pain and loss. No words of mine will undo this.

As the process of peacemaking between the people of this island continues, efforts to heal the wounds and bridge historical divisions must intensify.

It is important everyone in leadership, whether in Sinn Féin or unionism or the British and Irish governments, do our best to face up to these deeply emotive issues.

Reconciliation is an enormous challenge for all of us. There are still significant political differences. None of this will be resolved overnight. It is a process of dialogue, engagement, compromise. There is an onus on the Sinn Féin leadership to promote such a process.

But this is not just a matter for people in the North. There is a particular responsibility also on leaders in this state, in the government and in Fianna Fáil, as well as in the media to deal with legacy issues directly affecting citizens in this State in a way which takes us all beyond invective. – Is mise,

GERRY ADAMS TD,

Teach Laighean,

Sráid Chill Dara,

Báile Átha Cliath 2.

A chara, – In reference to your Editorial (February 1st), on January 29th I apologised in the Dáil on my own behalf and that of Sinn Féin for the killing of Garda Jerry McCabe in 1996.