MINISTER FOR Justice Alan Shatter has apologised for openly criticising RTÉ’s crime correspondent Paul Reynolds.

Speaking at a town council event yesterday in Templemore, Co Tipperary, after attending a Garda College graduation, Shatter accused Reynolds of “tabloid sensationalism of the worst kind” and said that Reynolds “frequently gets it very wrong”.

A spokesperson for RTÉ yesterday had no comment in response to Shatter’s criticism, but said that “Paul’s work and Paul’s record stands for itself”.

The Star reports today that Shatter issued a statement last night apologising to Reynolds for the “unfair and inaccurate” comments. He said that he had found a report by Reynolds about Oliver Connolly to be “grossly unfair”. Connolly, a barrister who donated to Shatter’s election campaign, was last week appointed by Shatter as an external confidential recipient of garda complaints. The part-time job pays €12,500 a year.

Shatter said he had been told Reynolds had apologised to Connolly and he hoped Reynolds would accept his apology.

Read: Justice minister attacks RTÉ reporter over ‘tabloid sensationalism’

Read more about Shatter’s apology in Patrick O’Connell’s report in today’s Star (print edition) >