Tag Archives: Sgt Maurice McCabe

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Taoiseach Enda Kenny taking Leaders’ Questions this afternoon

“Now, I do, I do hope, I do hope – and I want to make this clear – as Minister Zappone pointed out, that when she informed me that she had spoken to the McCabes, that the discussion that she had with them was about allegations, false allegations, made to Tusla.

“She did not indicate to me any issue of the detail of the discussion she had with the McCabe family or, indeed, the existence of any content of a file which you mention. Obviously, this was, this was, this became very public knowledge on the relevant Prime Time programme.

“And Minister Zappone is very clear, that the discussions she had with Sgt McCabe were of a confidential nature, that she had to respect his privacy, that these things were not in the public domain at the time that she, that she met with him. And I say mea culpa here. Because I did say, I’m guilty here, of, of, of not giving accurate information.

“I understood, from thinking myself that I had, perhaps that she had asked me about meeting Sgt McCabe in the first place. It actually was her office that consulted with my officials, who told me. So, she, she is very clear that she did not tell me that she intended to meet Sgt McCabe. But she did tell her official to tell my office. So I regret that. I regret that. I regret that. I regret that… So, I didn’t actually, I didn’t actually… She didn’t tell me herself and she’s really sorry she did…She did tell me before the Cabinet meeting last Tuesday that she had met with him and they had discussed allegations that were false in respect of, given to Tusla.”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny speaking in the Dáil this afternoon – in response to questions from Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin.

However.

Later, in response to questions from Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy, Mr Kenny contradicts himself:

“When you come to the house of the people, in this position, and you actually tell the truth, that you get pilloried also. There are many people who’ve been here before me who, for many years, who’ve made mistakes. I stand here and I say the information about the minister’s meeting with McCabe family, that, that I had spoken to her about that, she notified my office. My office told me of that information. And I put that in the public domain and I regret that I shouldn’t have.”

“The minister did not refer to any of the details of the discussion with the McCabes or the existence of a file in Tusla or the information contained in that file. It is not true to say that I had any information about the existence of that, prior to the Cabinet meeting in Government Buildings here.”

Readers will recall how on Sunday, Enda Kenny told Colm Ó Mongáin, of RTE’s This Week, that Ms Zappone told him she intended to meet Sgt McCabe and his wife Lorraine “in a private capacity”.

Mr Kenny said:

“That’s all I knew. I said to her, ‘well, if you do have a meeting, make sure you have a thorough account of it’. So, when we had our [Cabinet] meeting on Tuesday, I wouldn’t have been aware of any of the details of her discussions.”

Asked if he asked Ms Zappone what the meeting was about, he said: “No, because she was meeting him in a private capacity which she’s entitled to do.”

Dáil proceedings are under way and can be watched live here

Previously: ‘Why Are Nine Garda Whistleblowers Out Sick?’

‘Dealings With Tusla And Other Garda Whistleblowers’

‘Somebody Has To Go To Jail Over This’

Rollingnews

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Further to reports that Sgt Maurice McCabe met the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone on January 25, 2017…

And Tusla chief executive Fred McBride telling Áine Lawlor on RTÉ’s News at One this afternoon that Tusla briefed Ms Zappone’s department about the matters concerning Tusla and Sgt Maurice McCabe “within days of us finding out, or certainly at my level, finding out what had happened here…I can’t get an exact date but within a couple of days”…

And Katie Hannon reporting on Prime Time last night that on January 27, 2017, the chief operations officer of Tusla wrote to the Secretary General of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs acknowledging that ‘mistakes were made in the management of this matter’ and saying that he had ‘instituted a case review internal to Tusla’…

And the terms of reference of a commission of investigation into Supt Dave Taylor and Sgt Maurice McCabe’s protected disclosures being published on Wednesday, February 8, 2017…

Sarah Bardon, in The Irish Times, writes:

Ms Zappone met Sgt McCabe last month after receiving a letter from Tusla, the child and family agency, confirming it wrongly sent a file containing false allegations of child sex abuse made against Mr McCabe to gardaí.

Sources said Ms Zappone had not informed Cabinet of the matter when the proposed terms of reference for the commission of inquiry into the handling of garda whistleblowers were discussed this week.

…Neither Ms Zappone or her spokesman have responded to the claims yet.

Zappone urged to clarify handling of false claims against McCabe (Sarah Bardon, The Irish Times)

Earlier: Pasted In Error

Rollingnews

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From top: Sgt Maurice McCabe; Former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan

I’ve spoken to several people who were in attendance throughout, if not the entirety, most of the days that the Commission took evidence and they say that it was if Sgt McCabe was on trial. He said as much when he was under cross examination on several occasions and a serving member of the Gardai – that I’ve spoken to – who was present at several days of proceedings has told me:

‘They tried to blame Maurice for everything and it was bullshit.’

The ‘they’ in this case is the Garda HQ, and what that member of the force was referring to was either individual Gardaí or An Garda Siochana corporately claiming that Sgt McCabe was actually the person at fault in each of the cases that he blew the malpractice whistle on. When of course the judge found out that he wasn’t blamed at all.

You’re not going to find much reference to this in the completed report. Much of the process, the business of the commission revolved around Maurice McCabe having to prove that he wasn’t guilty of the very malpractices that he had highlighted in the first place by bringing them to the attention of the Confidential Recipient [Oliver Connolly] and to [Fianna Fáil leader] Micheál Martin.

In one case, to give example, he was accused by gardai of having given an instruction that was central to one of the cases of malpractice but, after scrutinising his diary from many, many years earlier, McCabe was actually able to offer the watertight alibi that he wasn’t on duty that particular day that he was accused of having done something because he was actually present at the birth of one of his children.

…Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan and many of the individual senior officers – be they retired or serving – were all represented by the Chief State Solicitor’s Office and acted for, at the commission, by Colm Smyth, senior counsel. So the legal strategy was, in most cases, centralised. The line of attack on McCabe was organised.

RTÉ’s Philip Boucher Hayes speaking on Drivetime last night.

Listen back to his report in full here

Earlier: Who is Misleading Whom

Previously: ‘Something For Everyone’

Clarifying Matters

Rollingnews

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Garda Commission Nóirín O’Sullivan

As previously stated, An Garda Síochána has fully accepted the findings and recommendations of the O’Higgins Commission. We will examine what lessons can be learnt and ensure the issues arising are fully addressed.

Our immediate concern, arising out of the O’Higgins Commission, must be with victims who believe – with justification, they were not dealt with properly by An Garda Síochána.

We are sorry the victims did not get the service they were entitled to, and we will seek to work with them.

A key element of our modernisation and renewal programme is ensuring victims are at the
heart of the Garda Service and they get the service they are entitled to.

In order to ensure a victim centred approach our first steps have been the setting-up of 28 Victim Service Offices throughout the country to keep victims up-to-date on the progress of their case through the justice system and the establishment of the National Protective Services Bureau, which among its work provides support for vulnerable victims.

These measures will help ensure we meet our obligations under the EU Victim Rights Directive.

We are learning from our past mistakes and following a number of reports in recent years, improvements in relation to how An Garda Síochána conducts investigations, manages incidents, trains its personnel, and liaises with victims of crime have been introduced or are in the process of being introduced as part of An Garda Síochána’s modernisation and renewal programme.

Every day, the men and women of An Garda Síochána do great work to protect and support
communities. In doing this, they consistently show great depth of character, resolve and commitment.

The initiatives we are undertaking as part of our modernisation and renewal programme are designed to ensure they have the necessary supports to provide the very best service to the communities we serve.

I have been asked to clarify certain matters in relation to the proceedings before the
O’Higgins Commission.

I am legally precluded from so doing under section 11 of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004, which provides that it is a criminal offence to disclose or publish any evidence given or the contents of any document produced by a witness.

The witnesses who gave evidence before the Commission did so on the expectation that
their evidence, except as may be included in the final report, would remain private.

Accordingly, I have been advised that I cannot discuss the details of any proceedings before the O’Higgins Commission.

I have consistently and without exception, within An Garda Síochána and in public, stated clearly that dissent is not disloyalty, that we must listen to our people at every level with respect and with trust, and that we stand to gain, rather than lose, when members bring to our attention practices they believe to be unacceptable.

Like every member of An Garda Síochána, Sergeant Maurice McCabe’s contribution is
valued and the service has changed for the better in response to the issues about which he complained.

I want to make it clear that I do not – and have never, regarded Sergeant McCabe as malicious.

Any member of An Garda Síochána who raises issues will be fully supported.

Each and every one of them must know they have the right and responsibility to raise their concerns and be confident that they will be listened to and addressed.

They won’t always be right and we in management won’t always be right either. But we are on a journey towards a markedly better policing service and we will learn from
every mistake we make.

A statement from Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan released tonight.

Previously: Nothing To Say Here

Nóirín’s Disgust

McCabe And Ms O’Sullivan

Rollingnews

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From top: Former Justice Minister Alan Shatter and former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan; former Garda Confidential Recipient Oliver Connolly; Sgt Maurice McCabe;

You may recall a post from February 18, 2014 containing a transcript of a conversation between former Garda Confidential Recipient, Oliver Connolly and Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe on February 9, 2012.

A day after the transcript was published, Mr Connolly was sacked.

The conversation between the two men came after Sgt McCabe had given Mr Connolly a report containing a number of allegations of Garda wrongdoing.

During the meeting Sgt McCabe was told that the then Justice Minister Alan Shatter had referred his complaints to Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and that no further action would be taken.

Mr Connolly told Sgt McCabe:

“I’ll tell you something Maurice and this is just personal advice to you. If Shatter thinks your screwing him, you’re finished… If Shatter thinks it’s you, if he thinks or is told by the Commissioner or the Gardaí here’s this guy again trying another route trying to put pressure on, he’ll go after you.”

He also told Sgt McCabe:

“What I’ll say to you is, [your report] went to the Department of Justice and that annoyed the Commissioner greatly. I’m sure it’s going to be an embarrassment for the Gardaí, a disaster for them and listen if your complaints are exposed to the print media it will make him an angry man.”

Broadsheet posted the full transcript after excerpts were read into the Dáil by both Independents 4 Change TD Mick Wallace and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin.

Readers may wish to note that this is what former High Court judge Kevin O’Higgins concluded in relation to that transcript, in his Commission of Investigation which was published yesterday:

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Seems legit.

Read the full O’Higgins report here

Previously: ‘The Truth Has Been Established’

Garda Confidential

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Sgt Maurice McCabe

You may recall a post from yesterday about the as yet  unpublished but leaked Justice O’Higgins report into allegations made by Sgt Maurice McCabe in relation to the Cavan-Monaghan area.

It included a transcript of a Drivetime report by RTÉ journalist Philip Boucher Hayes on Monday evening, after he secured a copy of the O’Higgins report.

At one point, Mr Boucher Hayes stated:

Another headline Maurice McCabe’s detractors point to is his allegation of corruption made against Former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan. Mr Callinan is “entitled to have his reputation vindicated” and that allegations made against him by Maurice McCabe “were unfounded and deeply hurtful” says the judge. Proof again that McCabe was pointing an unjustified finger of blame.

But in the same paragraph, where this appears, it’s also made clear that McCabe never accused Callinan of corruption – “He had not intended to make allegations of criminal conduct against the Commissioner but rather of an abuse of power only.”

…Anyone reading the accounts of the report that Maurice McCabe withdrew his allegations could reasonably infer that he knew he was on shaky ground in some of the things that he was saying.

On the contrary though it emerges in the transcripts of the commission that Sgt McCabe withdrew one complaint against an officer whom he felt should have been more critical of the shortcomings of a junior officer.

When he was presented with the testimony of the senior criticising his junior, McCabe withdrew the complaint saying that this “was the first time I’ve seen this”.

However….

An editorial in today’s Irish Times states:

The report does not paint a monochrome picture. No one is all good or all bad. There are conflicts of evidence, fact and recollection. Whistle-blower Sergeant Maurice McCabe is described as a dedicated and committed member of the Garda who acted out of genuine and legitimate concerns and was truthful in his evidence.

The corporate ranks closed against him. But his complaints of corruption against senior officers, including former Commissioner Martin Callinan, were described as hurtful and were rejected by the judge. Other complaints were overstated or exaggerated. Some were unfounded and some were withdrawn by Sgt McCabe.

Commission report on An Garda Síochána highlights need to remove politics from policing (Irish Times)

Previously: ‘Something For Everyone’

Laura Hutton/Rollingnews

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Interim Garda Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan speaking at the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality on Wednesday and political correspondent for the Current Affairs Department of RTÉ, Katie Hannon on Prime Time last night.

On Wednesday, Ms O’Sullivan appeared before the justice committee and said:

“Senior Garda management are very supportive of Sgt McCabe and certainly are in contact with him on a daily basis…His local management team have been in contact with him and they’re there to support him and assist him and that’s been made very clear to him and he also has the welfare services at his disposal.”

However, last night on Prime Time, Ms Hannon revealed that what Ms O’Sullivan told the committee was untrue. She said Sgt McCabe was watching the proceedings on Wednesday afternoon at home with his family and immediately called Ms O’Sullivan’s office to tell it that what she said was untrue.

This resulted in Ms O’Sullivan phoning Sgt McCabe, accepting his version of events, and offering Sgt McCabe her full support. She told him all his allegations would be thoroughly investigated and suggested that he nominate an appropriate person to whom he could bring his allegations.

Ms Hannon  reported that the Assistant Commissioner Kieran Kenny also contacted Sgt McCabe to also offer senior management’s full support.

From her discussion with Prime Time host, David McCullagh.

David McCullagh: ” Katie we now know that the interim commissioner phoned Sgt McCabe last night: what can you tell us about what was said?”

Katie Hannon: “Well, I understand the phone call concentrated on this issue, that became quite a controversy after her appearance at the Oireachtas Committee yesterday. But whether or not senior officers had been in touch with him, in regular touch with him, to offer their support, in relation to his complaints about ongoing harassment and I understand that, after quite a brief discussion on this, that the interim commissioner accepted that what she had told the Justice Committee yesterday was in fact not the case. And we have confirmation from the Garda Press Office tonight that she has been in touch with the Oireachtas Committee to clarify that.”

McCullagh: “So the Garda Commissioner was misinformed and she, in turn, misinformed the committee which would be regarded quite a serious matter in political circles.”

…

McCullagh: “Now do we know what sort of harassment is alleged?”

Hannon: “Well, I understand that there has been a number of incidents, maybe up to a dozen, which have been the subject of complaint by Sgt McCabe, some of them are along the line of what Mick Wallace stated there: senior officers making remarks, along the lines that he ‘destroyed the force’. Junior officers being asked, during reviews, whether or not Garda McCabe had hindered them in their work and other things that might have been considered minor but, maybe in this context, not so much. Like the duty roster in his station having an extra column added for whistleblowers but I understand that the incident that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as it were, was an incident last week where it was an operational matter that Sgt Maurice McCabe was involved in. He understood that, or realised that crucial information had been withheld from him, that put him in an invidious position with potentially serious consequences, he believed, and he found, after that, he decided that that was the last straw and I understand that that was the incident that prompted him to go on stress leave and he has been on stress leave since Monday.”

Further to this, Broadsheet understands from a source close to Sgt McCabe that the ‘operational matter’ referred to by Ms Hannon relates to an incident whereby Sgt McCabe was tasked with drawing up a road safety plan in the Midlands.

However, important information – including a Road Safety Authority report critical of a Garda proposal on the road safety plan – was deliberately withheld from Sgt McCabe.

Watch Prime Time back in full here

Previously: No Change

The Thin Blue Timeline [Updated]

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Sgt Maurice McCabe shakes Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s hand in Mullingar, Co Westmeath while Mr Kenny was canvassing on May 19. Mr Kenny did not take the opportunity to apologise to Sgt McCabe even though a week prior to their meeting, he told the Dáil he’d have no problem apologising to Sgt McCabe 

In the Dáil last night, Independent TD Mick Wallace proposed – for a second time – a bill that would, among other things, pave the way for the establishment of a Garda Síochána Independent Board and to reform the powers of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Committee.

He also spoke about Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe.

He said Sgt McCabe was not in work yesterday as he is still being harassed by certain colleagues and senior officers who told him he “destroyed” the force.

From Mr Wallace’s speech:

“The Bill proposes a 16-member board, to include 2 Irish Human Rights and Equality Commissioners, 4 members of the Oireachtas, the Ombudsman for Children, the Data Protection Commissioner, and the Chief Inspector of Garda Inspectorate. It is proposed that the remaining 6 members be chosen from citizen bodies, with a reserved place for the Traveller community. We believe that consideration should be given to the inclusion of 2 Garda Representatives from the low- and middle-ranks. This may go some way to improve Garda morale and to involve the Garda Siochana in the process of reform. This would allow the rank-and-file and middle-ranking Gardai more involvement and input in developing Garda policy than under the current hierarchical arrangement.”

“The Garda Inspectorate, which can look at practices, policies and procedures of the Gardai, should be answerable to the new Police Board, rather than the Minister, and should have greater powers of investigation, and its reports should be published promptly.”

…

“The reforms of GSOC contained in our Bill recognise that its remit was always intended to be investigatory, rather than one of review and oversight. As the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has pointed out, “Independent police complaints bodies must have investigative powers, be able to initiate investigations of their own accord and intervene in investigations conducted by the police”. Under current legislation, GSOC is inhibited in this regard – a shortfall which has been highlighted by UN Special Rapporteur Ms Margaret Sekaggya. The Ombudsman asked the permission of the then Fianna Fail Minister for Justice to investigate policing at Corrib under Section 106, but was refused. In 2013, we appealed to Minister Shatter again to allow GSOC to use Section 106 to look at Corrib policing, and also, the allegation of racial profiling in the Gardai at the time of the Roma Children episode. Again, the Minister for Justice refused. Section 106 of the Garda Act is amended to address this.”

…

“It is also crucial that any legislation put forward by government is accompanied by the political will to actually use it, otherwise there will be no change. Speaking of no change, Maurice McCabe is not at work today or yesterday. He is suffering harassment and abuse. He has been told by senior officers that he destroyed the force. He has reported the abuse through the proper channels. And there is no change. It is hard to believe that a man who has been so selfless and relentless in the pursuit of justice, could still be treated like this, given all we now know.“

Read the full speech here

Previously: The Chances

The Thin Blue Line [Updated]

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Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe was on duty in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, yesterday when he met Taoiseach Enda Kenny while he was in the town canvassing. In the Dail last week, the Taoiseach said:

“I’ve no problem in apologising to Sgt McCabe for the issues that he raised and for the fact that his raising these matters wasn’t dealt with more speedily in the first instance.”

Reporting on their meeting yesterday, Ronan Casey, in the Irish Daily Mail [not online], writes:

[Taoiseach Enda Kenny] did not take the opportunity to apologise to Sergeant McCabe in person – but both men smiled and shook hands at the Market Square. Mr Kenny said: ‘Hello Sergeant McCabe, how are you?’

Watch back on RTE’s Nine News here

Top pic: Mullingar