The family of murdered Portlaoise prison officer, Brian Stack will today meet with Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan in relation to the investigation.
Mr Stack was shot in 1983 by the IRA outside the National Boxing Stadium in Dublin and died more than a year later.
His family have led a campaign seeking justice and will today meet with Minister O’Callaghan where they will seek a full State apology.
Three separate Garda investigations have taken place in relation to the murder and following a Cold Case review in 2009, the Serious Crime Review Team sent a report to the then Garda Commissioner detailing 198 inadequacies that they found with the original investigation.
The most recent investigation also came in for criticism from the family after information supplied by an informant was not passed to the investigation team by the Garda intelligence service.
Following a meeting with Commissioner Drew Harris in July 2019, the Commissioner issued a public apology to the family over the mishandling of the three separate Garda investigations.
Following the publication of Justice For My Father, a book on the case by Austin Stack the family are now calling for a full State apology to the family.
Austin Stack, who has led the family campaign for justice, said: “the Gardai have admitted and apologised for the numerous serious errors in the original investigation and a mishandling of parts of the current investigation, however the State has failed to fully recognise this by not issuing a State apology”.
He continued “our family has never been given access to the Cold Case Report that detailed 198 errors in the original investigation and we can only assume that this because of the serious nature of what is included in that report”.
Stack continued: “the Irish government have very publicly supported calls for justice and public inquiries in relation to many cases in Northern Ireland and it is only right and proper that the State now fully recognise its failings in relation to the murder of a man who was defending this State against terrorism at a crucial time in its history”.
He pointed out that “the Garda Commissioner has apologised for their failings, The Irish Prison Service commended my dad’s bravery when it posthumously awarded him the Service’s highest bravery medal, and yet the State will not formally apologise to my mother and our family”.
Mr Stack says that “I be will appealing to the good nature of the new Justice Minister to do the right thing and be the person to rectify this previous wrong”.
SEE ALSO – LoveLaois Podcast: Austin Stack on his new book ‘Justice for My Father’
