An inquest into the deaths of three burglars who died in a collision on the N7 has now been adjourned after a garda was served with charges.
Dean Maguire (29), Karl Freeman (26) and Graham Taylor (31) died after they drove the wrong way down the N7 while fleeing officers in pursuit - and crashed into a truck between Citywest and Baldonnel on July 7, 2021.
The inquest was due to take place this morning - but following the revelation that a garda has now been served with a summons on charges in relation to the incident - GSOC asked the court for an adjournment.
READ MORE: Garda served with court summons over N7 crash that claimed lives of infamous burglary gang
In a statement GSOC said it "attended a hearing of the Dublin City Coroner’s Court this morning in relation to a road traffic collision on the N7 in July 2021 in which three people died.
"GSOC requested an adjournment of coronial proceedings under the provisions of s25(2) of the Coroners Act, 1962, owing to the fact that the Director of Public Prosecutions has instituted criminal proceedings against a member of An Garda Síochána in relation to the incident.
"The Coroner granted the adjournment, pending determination of the criminal proceedings." It comes after it emerged yesterday that a garda was served by GSOC with a court summons on charges of dangerous driving and endangerment in relation to the incident.
The revelation that the garda is to be charged has been met with widespread criticism among the force. Reacting to the news Garda Representative Association (GRA) President Brendan O’Connor told us: “The Garda Representative Association has only been informed of the exact nature of these charges in the past 24 hours and will now take time to consider the implications and any possible course of action required.
"We can assure all members that all relevant supports and advice have been made available to our colleague at this time and the Association will continue to do so.
"While we respect the independence of both the offices of the DPP and GSOC we have a number of questions regarding the timing and handling of this case which we will address at an appropriate later date."
Tallaght burglars Maguire, Freeman and Taylor were killed instantly when their BMW vehicle burst into flames.
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