Concerning our report of an inquest on John Morris which appeared in yesterday's editions, the Dublin City Coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, points out that he made no order to exclude the public from the court proceedings. Dr Farrell states that the assertion in our report that the public were not admitted is factually incorrect and damaging to the integrity of the inquest. He said that while security was tight, no order to exclude the public from the inquest was made by him.
The Garda Press Office points out that gardai were present at the entrance area for security reasons and also for the protection of an individual who was taken from prison to give evidence at the inquest. At no stage were members of the public prevented from going to or coming from the hearing, according to a Garda spokesman.