Pattern Recognition

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Solicitor Trevor Collins and Prime Time’s Miriam O’Callaghan

Last night.

On RTÉ’s Prime Time.

Garda whistleblower Keith Harrison’s solicitor Trevor Collins spoke to Miriam O’Callaghan about how Keith was also the subject of a referral to Tusla over a false abuse allegation.

From the interview…

Miriam O’Callaghan: “Garda [Keith] Harrison. Now, he too, I just want to read this to get it right. He was the subject of a referral to Tusla over abuse allegations that were later found to be untrue.”

Trevor Collins: “That is correct. It was a very, very disturbing and worrisome development for Keith Harrison and his partner, Marisa. As you can imagine the fact that someone is referred to Tusla – no matter what stage or what capacity in life, or office they hold – it is, by any measure, a disturbing, and something that would devastate a family and it had that effect on Keith and Marisa where they were, without any notice, invited to meet with Tusla, at a formal meeting, in the Tusla offices. And that came to them out of the blue.”

“It was, they were told during that meeting that they had no issue and no case to answer. That caused untold stress, upset, anguish. She worries, as a mother that someone is watching them.”

O’Callaghan: “I would assume Tusla would say they only went along and investigated and spoke to everybody because this complaint or allegation had been made.”

Collins: “That is fair and, to be fair, Keith and Marisa would be the first to say that the social workers from Tusla who visited their home, who then met with, were more than accommodating, understanding. The individuals who visited and conducted this investigation themselves, appeared to suggest to Keith – and this is in Keith and Marisa’s view – that they could see no reason why they were doing what they had to do but they were being told and that they had to carry out this duty.

O’Callaghan: “Now, in the end, they were found to be completely untrue, these allegations, isn’t that correct?”

Collins: “Absolutely, untrue. And there was no justification for this and no case to answer by anyone.”

O’Callaghan: “Now, Keith Harrison did try to make contact with the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald, didn’t he?”

Collins:Keith Harrison has been writing continuously since June 2014, to the minister, about the issues he has suffered. He has brought, to her attention, the efforts – as he sees it – by senior management of An Garda Siochana to smear him, to destroy his credibility, to undermine the very foundation that makes him a partner, the things that make a person, outside of their employment…I suppose, really, what I’m trying to explain to you, is, look, their fundamental being was being attacked.”

Watch back in full here

Previously: “The Similarities Cannot Be Ignored”

‘Why Are Nine Garda Whistleblowers Out Sick?’

Related: Second Garda whistleblower referred to Tusla (Michael Clifford, Irish Examiner)

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15 thoughts on “Pattern Recognition

  1. Kolmo

    In an act of hilarious timing – right after this Prime Time, a show called Blue Bloods came on, about New York Cops looking for a whistleblower within it’s rank’s – they sectioned the whistleblower to a mental ward to discredit him…

  2. Fully Keen

    Can we limit the Garda McCabe posts to under 20 a day?

    It’s becoming spam.

    Thanks.

    Y’all got any more of that Leather corpse faced man? He is a real hoot.

    1. Anomanomanom

      So what happens if there is 21 newsworthy incidents about McCabe, condense them all into one post ?

  3. classter

    That Tulsa smear was such a horrendous thing to do, even beyond what it did to McCabe.

    It destroys trust in the whole system on something so important

    1. Kieran NYC

      And it’s not a once-off either, with the Harrison revelations.

      Of course the Tusla cancer probably won’t even get fired. Unions.

  4. Mourning Ireland

    Miriam O’Callaghan should not be permitted to interview anyone in relationship to the McCabe issue.

    a) she’s in RTE who are part of the media conspiracy and

    b) she is a brother of the FF spokesperson on Justice who has spoken publicly about the matter and also has a vested interest

    Typical Irish BS.

    1. newsjustin

      Are they brother-sister? Didn’t know that. I know Tubbs has like 18 cousins in the Dail or something.

      What has struck me, with all the meetings, solicitors, statements is – do the whistle blowers, especially Sgt McCabe have to pay their own legal bills…..I’m sure they do. Can you imagine how much Sgt McCabe and his family have spent already…..poo!

    2. Johnny Keenan

      Thanks for that very valuable bit of information MI and as much I shouldn’t like your name the truth hurts
      Peace

  5. Jake38

    If O’callaghan was any use, question number 2 would have been “and who made this complaint to Tusla”. But no. This is what you pay a license fee for, BTW.

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