Mullingar-based Garda Sgt. Maurice McCabe, who, along with former Garda John Wilson has been at the centre of the highly controversial Garda whistleblowers’ revelations, since the matter first came to public attention more than a year and a half ago, was once again pushed back into the headlines last week-end, with startling new claims and allegations, and also counterclaims by the Garda Representative Association.
A Sunday Times newspaper report on Sunday last revealed that Sgt. McCabe had been in touch with the Interim Garda Commissioner, Nóirín O’Sullivan, in the past fortnight, about further cases of abuse of the penalty points system, and had also informed John McGuinness, TD, chairman of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee. The latter said he had spoken to Sgt. McCabe, and felt the abuse situation was “as bad as before” – back to 2012.
On Monday and Tuesday, there were further major stories in the Irish Examiner and Irish Times about the matter, and on Tuesday, it was stated that Gda. Sgt. McCabe is to assist the Professional Standards Unit of the gardai during the coming days during their investigation of his allegations about continuing abuse of the system.
Over the past number of months, it became clear that Sgt. McCabe, who has worked in Mullingar for the past number of years with the locally based garda traffic corps, has, like the other garda ‘whistleblower’ John Wilson, been subjected to severe criticism and suffered personally and professionally because of his actions. Mr. Wilson has claimed that the serious stress he endured because of whistleblowing led to the cancer for which he has been treated.
“ONLY ALLEGATIONS”
This week, as the new raft of allegations caused shock and upset at national level, and led to a new GSOC investigation, the general secretary of the Gardai Representative Association, Mr. P. J. Stone, (who represents upwards of l0,000 garda members), criticised the Guerin investigation into the separate serious allegations by Sgt. McCabe relating to misconduct in Bailieborough garda district.
Mr. Stone, in the latest issue of the Garda Review criticises the lack of progress by the government in setting up a statutory commission of investigation, while casting serious doubts on the claims made by Sgt. McCabe.
The Guerin report examined a range of serious allegations made by Sgt. McCabe in relation to criminal investigations conducted by gardai in Bailieborough district, referring to documented information which “supported” the allegations about “significant deficiencies” in the investigations. It recommended a commission of investigation, but this has not been set up yet.
Mr. Stone said the gardai have still to be allowed present their side of the story, and he claimed members had been maligned by “allegations yet to be tested and we believe that the inordinate delay may be because those in the political elite have been caught in the headlights.”
His comments cast doubts on Sgt. McCabe’s allegations, as he says that the Guerin report was about allegations one man had made, and everyone took this as doctrine. “Allegations are not established facts,” he said. and he asked why nobody asked the sergeant why he made secret recordings of his conversations. He claimed the allegations have yet to be tested.
Comparing it to a situation “akin to the emperors’s new clothes” Mr. Stone suggested that “perhaps unwittingly, both sets of whistleblowers’ allegations have been unchallenged and amplified” because of “government paralysis” and referred to their “blind acceptance and repetition”.
Mr. Stone claims that “incalculable” damage had been caused to the junior garda members affected, and said it was unjust.
Acting Commissioner O’Sullivan announced on 18 June last that deletions of penalty points would only happen at the central processing office in Thurles, and requests for termination of penalty points by gardai have to be checked and signed off before going to the Thurles central processing unit.
If it now emerges that since that date, there may have been deletions at regional offices, but this will only be clarified when the current investigations are completed – investigations in which the Mullingar garda sergeant has been drawn into a central role.
It is claimed that when asked this week about the conditions in which he has had to work in the traffic unit in Mullingar, he told investigating officers that things were difficult for him at present.
