Family of prison officer killed by IRA receives state apology

The family of a senior Irish prison officer murdered by the IRA has received a state apology on Wednesday for failings in investigations into his killing.

Brian Stack, a father of three, was crossing a street in Dublin, after leaving a boxing match in 1983, when he was shot in the back of the neck.

Stack, who was the chief prison officer at the high-security Portlaoise Prison, was left paralysed and died 18 months later, aged 49.

There were three separate garda (Irish police) investigations into Stack's death, but no-one was brought to justice for his killing.

The Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin offered an apology on behalf of the state during a sitting of the Dáil (Irish parliament).

Stack's wife Sheila and her sons Austin, Kieran and Oliver were in the chamber for the apology.

Martin said the Provisional IRA is "still in the possession of all the facts" on this case.

'Address our concerns, Sinn Féin'

The Stack brothers left the Dáil (lower house of Irish parliament) chamber when Sinn Féin TDs spoke during the State apology.

Speaking outside Leinster House after the State apology, Austin Stack called on Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald to "address our concerns" around their father's murder.

"The IRA were responsible for the murder my father. The leader of the opposition has consistently said that the IRA campaign was justified," he said.

"The leader of the opposition did not dignify and respect my family by coming into the chamber today and because of that, we took the action that we did, in withdrawing from the chamber when Sinn Féin representatives were speaking."

Speaking to reporters in Belfast, where she was being interviewed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in relation to protests at Garvaghy Road, McDonald welcomed the State apology.

"I can only imagine the trauma that they have been through for a long time," she said.

"The IRA has acknowledged responsibility and expressed sorrow for the death of Brian Stack, has said that it shouldn't have happened and I think they made those statements very clearly more than a decade ago and I think that was the right and the correct thing to do."

In a further statement, a Sinn Féin spokesperson said a number of senior party TDs made contributions in the Dáil, and that it was regrettable that McDonald was unable to attend due to her scheduled police interview.

"Our thoughts are with Sheila Stack and her sons. Brian Stack's killing was wrong and should never have happened. We are deeply sorry for their loss and suffering.

"Sinn Féin acknowledges the hurt caused by republican actions in the past. We welcome the Irish government's apology for the investigative failures that compounded the family's pain. They deserve truth and justice.

"Our position is clear: Investigating Brian Stack's killing is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána. We support that work and the family's right to answers."

Apology means 'an awful lot'

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme Brian Stack's son, Austin Stack, said the apology "means an awful lot to us".

"It's a great sense of comfort, to particularly my mother and to myself and my two brothers, because the state is officially owning up to the errors and the omissions that happened," he said.

He went on to say that the serious crime review team looked into the first investigation and "they found 194 errors and omissions".

"So I have, and my family have, met with several ministers for justice down through the years and we have a requested sight of that report.

"And every time we've requested it, we've been told that it's an internally valid document and that we cannot see it."

Austin Stack said that Wednesday would be a very emotional day for his family.

"My dad was doing a very difficult job at a very difficult time in our history," he said.

"He was awarded the Irish Prison Service's highest bravery award for that work that he was doing. And this is further vindication of him and his good name."

Prior to the Dáil proceedings, the Stack family held a private meeting at government buildings with the taoiseach and Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan.

'Utterly unacceptable'

In 2007 the Garda Commissioner directed a review of the case by the Garda Serious Crime Review Team. Over 200 recommendations were made relating to the cases.

This review led to "serious failings" being found as well as "the shortcomings in the management" of the earlier Garda investigation.