Convicted killer Mark Nash later confessed to his then girlfriend that he had murdered the two women. He admitted that he, and not Dean Lyons, was the Grangegorman killer . . . but he was never charged. Investigating gardai continued to refuse to accept they had made a mistake. This led to delays in releasing Lyons from custody. He died from a heroin overdose in 2000. His treatment by gardai is a scar on the conscience of the state and has led to an apology from An Garda Siochana to the Lyons family. Sadly, it is just one of a number shadows hanging over the An Garda Siochana, even as the Morris tribunal into garda corruption in Donegal continues to make headlines.

Last week, the parents of Clonmel schoolboy Brian Rossiter, who fell unconscious while in garda custody, found out that the inquest into their son's death would not take place until the independent inquiry into the circumstances of his arrest and detention was completed.

Hugh Hartnett SC is currently completing a report into Brian's detention at Clonmel garda station.

Fourteen-year-old Brian fell into a coma while in garda custody in the station on the night of 10/11 September, 2002 and died two days later at Cork University Hospital on 13 September. A post-mortem revealed that he had died as a result of head injuries. Hartnett's inquiry was established after much public outrage over the boy's death and no date has been put on its conclusion.

While the Rossiters await news of Hartnett's conclusions, the family of Terence Wheelock has been calling for an independent inquiry into his death for almost two years. Wheelock (20) was found unconscious in his cell in Store Street garda station on 2 June 2005 and died three months later. Gardai say they found the prisoner with a ligature around his neck and argue that he hung himself with a string from his tracksuit bottoms secured to a fixture which is counter sunk into the wall. Wheelock's family say that there were marks on his body when he was admitted to hospital and his clothes were bloodstained.

Gardai refused to release the clothing for independent forensic testing until recently.

An inquest into Wheelock's death has been adjourned until March to allow state pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy time to examine photos taken shortly after he was found unconscious.

Elsewhere, the Morris tribunal into one of the biggest garda scandals in the history of the state is ongoing. The tribunal began work under the chairmanship of Justice Morris in early 2002 and has sat for 572 days to date. The most controversial finding Justice Morris has made to date is that Frank McBrearty Jnr and his cousin Mark McConnell were framed by gardai for the murder that never was of Raphoe cattle dealer Richie Barron in October 1996.

And it looks like the remainder of 2007 will contain further bad news for An Garda Siochana. Ian Bailey, the only man arrested during the investigation into the murder of French woman Sophie Toscan du Plantier, was told by gardai he would be shot dead, the McAndrew inquiry has been told. The inquiry is probing claims that the former freelance reporter was targeted falsely for killing du Plantier in December 1996.

The inquiry has also been told that a man was offered a significant quantity of illegal drugs and cash if he could provide damaging information against Bailey. The internal probe, under the guidance of Assistant Garda Commissioner Ray McAndrew, was launched after a key witness, Marie Farrell, claimed she had been pressurised by members of the force into falsely identifying Bailey.

As Bailey is taking a civil action against the state later this year, it looks like some members of an otherwise sound police force will face criticism 10 years after the Grangegorman murders.