Family of murdered Garda Horkan call for public inquiry

The family of Detective Colm Horkan who was shot dead in the line of duty in Castlerea, Co Roscommon six years ago have called for a public inquiry.

Detective Horkan was murdered by Stephen Silver after he took the garda's gun from its holster.

"Several persons, including protected disclosers, have stated repeatedly that it was known that this holster was faulty, that it was not fit for purpose," the Horkan family said this evening.

In a statement, they said revelations in the recent RTÉ Investigates programme have heightened their concerns and questions remain unanswered.

"We want this for Colm but also so the public at large will know how these matters are dealt with and what happens to people such as these protected disclosers when they seek to raise matters within State bodies and in particular, An Garda Síochána," they said.

"We have no confidence that we will ever know the truth in the absence of an Independent Public Inquiry.

"The Minister for Justice and other authorities should have nothing to fear from a public inquiry, though our request in respect of this has on so many occasions fallen on deaf ears," they added.

The Labour Party's Alan Kelly, who has worked with the Horkan family, has weclomed their "significant and impactful statement".

He said Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan and his predecessor Helen McEntee had questions to answer and that he had already alerted them about the case during a Dáil contribution in March.