Judge defends granting bail to man who later fired shots at shopping centre

‘Once gardai consent, it must be given' he says

- MICHAEL O'TOOLE

• Taoiseach hits out at 'misinformation and lies'

A JUDGE has defended his decision to grant bail to a young man who died in a shooting incident in a shopping centre in Carlow on Sunday.

Tragic Evan Fitzgerald, 22, shot himself dead in front of shocked shoppers just days before he was due to face court on ammunition and explosives charges.

District Court Judge Desmond Zaidan said it had been reported that Mr Fitzgerald was on bail on firearms charges at the time of Sunday's incident.

However, the judge said gardaí consented to bail and, therefore, he had no power to go behind that.

"Bail was granted on consent. Once that's done, this judge or no judge in Ireland has the power to overrule it. That's the way it was dealt with on 4 March 2024," he said.

Judge Zaidan criticised the reporting and said while there were "a lot of headlines about a man on bail", they omitted certain key things.