Garda

The scene commander at Abbeylara, Superintendent Joe Shelly, deliberately concealed information damaging to the Garda in a way that contributed directly to the death of John Carthy, according to the Barr tribunal report. It claims Joe Shelly did not pass on to Garda negotiators the history of bad relations between John Carthy and the local gardaí and that this failure hopelessly compromised the attempts to resolve the stand-off with John Carthy. By Frank Connolly

The Abbeylara report by Robert Barr is superb. Repetitious in part, curiously avoiding any overall assessment of the complicity of the media (as we see it) in the tragic outcome, surprisingly supportive of the decision to involve the Garda Emergency Response Unit (ERU) in an incident concerning a mentally-ill man in a painful ordeal. But the report is rigorous in its assessment of Garda incompetence and negligence. Forthright in its findings that Garda witnesses would not be believed and that in a central issue there may have been a cover up.

Vincent Browne on Peter Stringfellow, tax exiles, Mcdowell and An Garda Siochana, ebay, and this week's events.

Four years after the May Day protest 2002, the state has settled the case of Annette Ryan, who told the High Court she was assaulted by gardaí. By Frank Connolly

A 34-year-old man claims gardaí assaulted him without reason in Dublin city centre. By Frank Connolly

The GRA has revealed it was reassured by Michael McDowell that a Garda Reserve would only be introduced in case of a 'national emergency'. The Minister denies this. By Frank Connolly

Six members of the family of Terence Wheelock, who died having been in Garda custody last year, claim to have been assaulted by gardaí at their home on 17 May. Scott Millar hears their account of what happened

Forty years ago, Joe Geary raided a Co Cork pub owned by local Fianna Fáil TD Jerry Cronin. The former Garda has been suffering the consequences ever since. He tells his story to Frank Connolly

The Garda Press Office has issued a statement pointing out "inaccuracies" in a recent report in the Sunday Independent by journalist Jim Cusack. Under the headline, "Helpless gardai waited hours for armed units", Jim Cusack reported that "two unarmed gardaí who were threatened with a pistol in west Dublin had to wait for almost two hours before armed support arrived, so they could make arrests."

The Garda Ombudsman Commission, the independent body which will investigate complaints against members of An Garda Síochána, will be operative in early- to mid-2007, a spokesman has said.