Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
POLICE SORRY FOR ‘STRESS AND PAIN’
IRELAND’S police force said sorry to innocent murder suspect Joanne Hayes for the “awful stress and pain” the guards caused during the Kerry Babies scandal in the 1980s.
Superintendent Flor Murphy made the public apology at a press conference announcing the reopening of the investigation.
Speaking in Co Kerry, he said: “It is a matter of significant regret for An Garda Siochana that it has taken such a long time for it to be confirmed that Ms Hayes is not the mother of Baby John.
“On behalf of An Garda Siochana I would like to sincerely apologise to Ms Hayes for that, as well as the awful stress and pain she has been put through as a result of the original investigation into this matter, which fell well short of the required standards.”
Baby John was just five days old when his body was found with multiple stab wounds on White Strand in Caherciveen, Co Kerry, on April 14, 1984.
Joanne Hayes, from Abbeydorney, Co Kerry, was 25 and a mother of one at the time of the incident.
Investigating gardai wrongly identified her as a suspect and she and her family confessed but later withdrew their confessions after saying they were coerced by gardai and Joanne had given birth to her baby at the family farm.
Joanne’s baby died shortly after birth and was buried on her family’s farm.
Yesterday in Caherciveen Garda station the force announced the reopening of the Kerry Babies murder investigation.
They revealed a DNA profile confirms Joanne Hayes was not the mother of Baby John.
Supt Murphy said: ”Principally, a viable DNA profile has been obtained from samples taken from Baby John in the course of the original investigation.
“This sample has been examined and compared, and as a result of this analysis we can conclusively state Ms Joanne Hayes is not the mother of Baby John.
“We have been in close contact with Ms Hayes through a family liaison officer since the DNA sample confirmed this.
“She has been informed of the results and the investigation. At all times Ms Hayes has co-operated fully with An Garda Siochana.
“The acting Garda Commissioner has written to and spoken to Ms Hayes to formally apologise to her on behalf of An Garda Siochana.”
Supt Murphy believes the cultural climate during the 1980s in Kerry stopped witnesses coming forward.
He explained: “Ireland was a different
YESTERDAY KERRY
place in 1984. It was a different society with different societal pressures.
“We would hope that in the Ireland of 2018 people will be more prepared to come forward.”
The senior investigative officer said the force regretted the investigative failings during their original probe.
He added: “The tribunal headed by Mr Justice Kevin Lynch into that investigation rightly criticised many aspects of that investigation. For those failings, I apologise.
“It is accepted the original investigation fell short of what was required and expected of a professional police service, but I want to reassure the public that this will be a thorough and professional investigation.”
Supt Murphy pleaded with the people of Caherciveen to help.
He said: “Someone is Baby John’s mother. Someone is Baby John’s father. Someone knew his mother or father. People have carried a lot of pain and hurt over the last 30 years.
“Our strong belief at the current time is that the answers to this are in Caherciveen and the close surrounding areas. After all these years Baby John deserves the truth.”