Meeting Catherine Nevin

Since last February I have had several meetings with Catherine Nevin in the Dochas centre at Mountjoy. At each of the meetings, her solicitor, Anne Fitzgibbon, was in attendance.

In the course of these meetings she told the story of her life and of her time with her deceased husband, Tom Nevin. She spoke in detail about his murder and the circumstances surrounding it (which was essentially an elaboration of what she had said in evidence in the course of her trial). She also made a few startling revelations, the most significant of which her solicitor was able to confirm.

We intended publishing her story in the May issue of Village but because this coincided with an application she was making to the Parole Board in connection with an educational course she wished to attend, she asked that the publication be deferred and we agreed.

On Monday 20 August there was a further meeting at Mountjoy, again attended by Anne Fitzgibbon. At that meeting it emerged there had been a serious misunderstanding about an agreement whereby we had undertaken that she would see in advance of publication anything we planed quoting her as saying and she would have freedom to change the material.  She and her solicitor had understood they would have a veto over everything we planed publishing in relation to her. She then withdrew her assent to the publication of the interview and we are respecting that.

We have excised any material from this article that is based on what she stated to us in interview. Neither are we publishing anything about her demeanour, her appearance,

her time in prison, nor disclosing the startling new fact about her case which emerged from the interview and was confirmed by her solicitor.

I accept responsibility for the misunderstanding.