Justice Kevin Haugh dies aged 64

The death has been announced of High Court judge Mr Justice Kevin Haugh, aged 64.

Mr Justice Haugh, who was chairman of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, died suddenly today at his home in Dublin.

He was educated at Castleknock College, UCD and King’s Inn and called to the bar in 1966, becoming senior counsel in 1983. He was elected a bencher of the King’s Inn in 1994.

Mr Justice Haugh was appointed as a judge of the Circuit Court in 1996 and was appointed to the Special Criminal Court later that year.

He was appointed to the High Court in October 2005.

His appointment as chairman of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) was announced in October 2005 and he - along with the other members of the Commission, former director of Consumer Affairs Carmel Foley and former Irish Timeseditor Conor Brady - recieved his warrant in February 2006.

In March 1998, Mr Justice Haugh was nominated as a member of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal. The following year, in a vote by the UN General Assembly, he topped the poll by a huge margin. He served two four-year terms in New York and Geneva.

In a statement, the Commissioners and staff at the GSOC said they learned of Mr Justice Haugh’s death with deep regret. “He oversaw the setting up of our office and ensured that the operation of the Commission and oversight of policing in our society was established on a professional, independent, accountable footing,” the statement said.

“He took great care to ensure compliance with the law. The staff of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is proud to have had him as Chairman and is saddened by his death. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family and many friends.”

The Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said he was saddened to learn of Mr Justice Haugh's death.

"He was a jurist who was held in high esteem by his peers, not simply for his learning and high professional standards, but for his warm personality and good humour," he said.

"He was assiduous in his concern that the Commission should operate to the highest standards, and brought forward many proposals for improvements in the law governing its operations."

The Irish Human Rights Commission also expressed its sadness at the news. IHRC president Dr Maurice Manning said Mr Justice Haugh "contributed immensely to the establishment and development of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission and brought to his task great qualities of judgement and integrity."

Possibly the most high profile case Mr Justice Haugh presided over during his judicial career involved former taoiseach Charles Haughey and his attempts to avoid trial on charges of obstructing the McCracken Tribunal.

Mr Justice Haugh ruled in the Circuit Court in June 2000 that there was “a real and substantial risk” that Haughey would not receive a fair trial due to prejudicial remarks by then tánaiste Mary Harney, the circulation of a leaflet and other factors.

Ms Harney had claimed in a newspaper interview that Haughey should be jailed for taking large sums of money from business interests. The High Court later dismissed a DPP challenge to the indefinite deferral of the trial.