Some of the media coverage of the death of a young female sergeant during childbirth has been described as "disgusting, hurtful, tasteless and obscene" by Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy.
Tania Corcoran (34) died on Friday in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda following the birth of twin boys. One baby, Zach, also died.
The commissioner issued a statement yesterday on his own behalf, on behalf of all members of An Garda Síochána and on behalf of the Corcoran family and that of her husband, Det Sgt Aidan McCabe.
"It is appreciated by the gardaí that the circumstances of the death of Tania and Zach may well have been newsworthy, but the manner of media coverage in certain media outlets was disgusting, insensitive and hurtful.
Mr Conroy continued: "Tania was a woman, a wife and a mother and her occupation, which in no way contributed to her tragic death, is irrelevant.
Referring to Sunday newspaper reports highlighting Garda McCabe's role in the Abbeylara siege, Mr Conroy said: "Likewise, her husband Aidan is also a member of An Garda Síochána and this fact, coupled with any aspect of his career in An Garda Síochána, was irrelevant to the death of his wife and son and any references to that were unnecessary."
He said the loss of Ms Corcoran was "felt far and wide within An Garda Síochána, but the pain, hurt and suffering of her husband and family is beyond words . . .
"The Garda Commissioner, on his own behalf and on behalf of the Corcoran and McCabe families and all members of An Garda Síochána, wishes to register his absolute abhorrence at the manner in which this human tragedy was reported by some media outlets."
Mr Conroy thanked those in the media who reported the story sensitively "and who dealt with the story as the human tragedy, which it is".
The Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors yesterday strongly criticised the coverage in the Sunday Independent, Evening Herald and the Irish Daily Star newspapers in recent days.
The Dublin office of the National Union of Journalists said it had received "a high level of complaints from members of the public regarding this story".
