The Director of Public Prosecutions has ruled that no member of the gardai should be prosecuted as a result of the death of John Carthy, who was shot dead by Garda marksmen following a siege in Abbeylara, Co Longford, in April.
A copy of the one-page report from the DPP's office was presented to Mr Carthy's mother, Ms Rose Carthy, yesterday and she was briefed on its contents. The report was given to the gardai more than a fortnight ago.
The report concludes that the gardai have no case to answer and that there will be no prosecution of any garda. It also is unlikely that the Garda Commissioner will take any disciplinary action against the gardai involved.
A solicitor for the Carthy family said early today it was renewing its call for a full public inquiry, which would address the Garda handling of the incident and make recommendations to prevent further tragedies.
The family also has requested a copy of the Garda investigation into the incident prior to its publication and points out that such a courtesy was extended to the family of Stephen Lawrence in England.
Further details of how Mr Carthy died are expected to be made public in September when a coroner's inquest is due to be held in Longford. The inquest will take place on a date to be decided among the local coroner, the Carthy family and the gardai in Granard.
Mr Donncha O'Connell, director of the Irish Council of Civil Liberties, said early today the decision of the DPP not to bring a criminal prosecution was not an alternative to a thoroughgoing independent inquiry, which would examine all of the issues, including possible civil liability, operational efficacy and other issues.
"It seems somewhat strange that this decision has been taken without the report of the internal investigation being put into the public domain. In the past few weeks the UN has been critical of the Irish Government's failure to put in place credible mechanisms for investigating complaints against the police.
"The manner in which this case has been handled indicates a blatant disregard for our human rights obligations. The case for an independent inquiry remains compelling not just to satisfy the demands of the Carthy family but also to restore the credibility of the gardai," he said.
Mr Carthy was shot four times by members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit as he emerged from his home on Holy Thursday evening after a 24-hour siege.
The incident began about 5.30 p.m. on April 19th last when Mr Carthy (27) barricaded himself into his family home.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, ordered a full inquiry into the incident and five FBI agents with expertise in siege situations assisted gardai in preparing a report, which has not been published yet.