Paul Murphy: Demands truth after state apology over Shane O'Farrell
Paul Murphy paid tribute to Lucia, Jim and Shane O'Farrell's sisters, welcomed the state's apology over Shane O'Farrell's death and said it vindicates the family's 14-year fight for justice. He argued the apology effectively repudiates the scoping inquiry and GSOC reports, warned that an apology is not a replacement for the truth, and pressed for publication of Gardaí papers to clarify whether Gurdjewska was protected as an informant amid repeated failures of the criminal justice system.
Paul Murphy paid tribute to Lucia and Jim and to Shane O'Farrell's sisters, noting they should have been able to grieve instead of fighting for justice for 14 years. He recalled meeting Lucia more than a decade ago and described the family's enduring indignation and detailed scrutiny of how Shane was killed.
He said the state apology amounts to a repudiation of the scoping inquiry's conclusion that no public inquiry was needed and of GSOC's reports. Murphy welcomed the apology but argued the scoping document had been unusually expansive in asserting the state had nothing to apologise for or to inquire into.
Murphy warned that an apology must be accompanied by the truth and expressed concern that the minister's statement that the facts are known should not replace a full public reckoning. He said facts may already be known in part, but truth and accountability must go together.
He raised the unresolved question of why Garajewska was free to be driving the car and whether Gurdjewska was protected because they were an informant for the Gardaí. Murphy said Gardaí papers should be published to provide clarity on that significant unanswered question and its wider implications for the criminal justice system.
Murphy noted other families continue to seek public inquiries, referencing the case of Terence Wheelock and ongoing public campaigning. He said families draw inspiration from the O'Farrell family and argued the State should not continually offer apologies in place of answers.
Tribute to the family
Paul Murphy paid tribute to Lucia and Jim and to Shane O'Farrell's sisters, noting they should have been able to grieve instead of fighting for justice for 14 years. He recalled meeting Lucia more than a decade ago and described the family's enduring indignation and detailed scrutiny of how Shane was killed.
Repudiation of the scoping inquiry and GSOC
He said the state apology amounts to a repudiation of the scoping inquiry's conclusion that no public inquiry was needed and of GSOC's reports. Murphy welcomed the apology but argued the scoping document had been unusually expansive in asserting the state had nothing to apologise for or to inquire into.
Apology is not a replacement for truth
Murphy warned that an apology must be accompanied by the truth and expressed concern that the minister's statement that the facts are known should not replace a full public reckoning. He said facts may already be known in part, but truth and accountability must go together.
Question over Gardaí papers and informant status
He raised the unresolved question of why Garajewska was free to be driving the car and whether Gurdjewska was protected because they were an informant for the Gardaí. Murphy said Gardaí papers should be published to provide clarity on that significant unanswered question and its wider implications for the criminal justice system.
Wider context and ongoing demands for justice
Murphy noted other families continue to seek public inquiries, referencing the case of Terence Wheelock and ongoing public campaigning. He said families draw inspiration from the O'Farrell family and argued the State should not continually offer apologies in place of answers.
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Transcript
The main thing I want to do is to really pay tribute, as has been done by many others, to Lucia and Jim and Shane's sisters. For 14 years you should have been able to grieve and live your lives, and instead you had to fight for justice. You should remember you weren't fighting for justice against nobody, there wasn't nobody on the other side, it was the state on the other side that was blocking the search for justice. The state apology is a vindication of what you have been fighting for for 14 years. I remember I met Lucia, it has to be over 10 years ago, because I was an MEP at the time. I remember Lucia specifically making the point about Shane being a UCD law graduate as I was. What struck me was the burning indignation and anger at the injustice, at how Shane had been killed and how he shouldn't have been killed. But then combined with what others have referred to, the kind of forensic detail in how this happened and how it simply shouldn't have happened at many points down the line in terms of why Garajewska was free and able to be driving that car. I think it's important to say that if, and I do sincerely welcome the apology, effectively it is a repudiation of the scoping inquiry. If you read the scoping inquiry, effectively it says the state has nothing to apologise for, the state has nothing to inquire into, there is no need for public inquiry. That was the outcome of this extremely lengthy scoping document, which went much beyond what you would normally think is scoping, was to say that the state effectively has nothing to apologise for here. It's also effectively a repudiation of the role that GSOC played and the GSOC reports, and this should be recognised. So I really welcome the apology, but I also would emphasise that an apology is not a replacement for the truth. They need to go together. The Minister was at pains to emphasise that the facts are known. We could spend many years inquiring into these facts, facts that are already known. Separately, what the Minister is doing, will not need to establish any facts, since the relevant facts are already known. And I just worry, I take my lead fully from the family on this. But I think there is an important fact that is sitting here unanswered and unmentioned in the Minister's statement. The Minister, previously in 2018, spoke in the House about tragedies happening in families throughout this country. But the reason the tragedy of Shane O'Farrell merits public discussion and debate in this House and public investigation is because it reveals a very significant inadequacy and inefficiency at the heart of the criminal justice system. And the fact that is still not known and not stated is why. You have repeated failure upon failure upon failure of the criminal justice system, and was that simply inefficiencies in the system, or was it something more? Was Gurdjewska protected because he was an informant for the Gardaí? And that is a significant question that remains unanswered and that has wider implications. And again, I take my lead from the family, but I still feel that the Gardaí papers to be published in relation to that, and we could do with having clarity on that. The final thing is just we shouldn't have to be here dealing with apologies. We shouldn't have to have future apologies. Terence Wheelock's death is now 20 years, and this month they will be on the streets. This Saturday still fighting for justice, still demanding a public inquiry. They and others take inspiration from the O'Farrell family. Thank you. Thank you Deputy. Thank you,оты Rikatsman family. Thank you. I am happy to be here at the O'Farrell family. Thank you. Thank you, Professor Rikatsman.