Garda accused of paying criminal to attack female officer's home learns fate

Irish Daily Mirror

3 days ago

No charges are to be brought against a Garda who was alleged to have paid a criminal to throw a brick through the window of a female officer's home.
The Irish Mirror has learned that an investigation by Fiosru (Formerly GSOC) into the officer, who was suspended from duty in 2022, resulted in a file being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) - which has now ruled no charges are to be brought against him.
The decision means a near three year external investigation into the officer has resulted in no prosecution- and the garda may be able to return to his duties soon.
He is however understood to still be subject to an internal disciplinary process and remains suspended from the force at this time.
The Garda had been subject to an investigation by the Garda Anti Corruption task force when the revelations first became known and were reported by this paper in early 2023.
Asked for comment about the development, the Garda press office stated 'This is not a matter for An Garda Síochána at this time. You would be best placed to contact Fiosrú in relation to your query.'
A spokesperson for Fiosru meanwhile told us: 'Fiosrú cannot make a comment at this time.'
Meanwhile the female officer who was the alleged target of the brick attack remains suspended and has been under investigation herself for alleged harassment. It is understood that officers expect there to be charges in this case.
She was alleged to have accessed the force's internal computer system to change her love rivals phone number - and then send her abusive messages and voicemails. It was also alleged that she tried to enter the couple's house to confront her rival - but was only scared away when the woman started recording the Garda on her mobile phone.
We previously reported that the alleged brick attack saw the attacker driven to and picked up from the scene by an innocent taxi driver.
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Officers had tracked down the taxi driver who confirmed he'd been asked to bring a man to the estate where the female officer was residing. He also told gardai that the man in the taxi asked him to wait at the scene and he came back a few minutes later before telling him to drive off.
Detectives quickly established that the fare was a low-level criminal and small-time drug dealer from the same town - and he was then arrested on suspicion of attacking the officer's house. He was held at the local Garda station – and initially refused to make any comment.
But detectives then raided his house and found a secret phone, with voice notes still on it.
One of the messages, sources told us at the time, warned the criminal that he had been identified as the main suspect for the attack on the female officer's home. It's understood the voice note told the criminal to get out of his house before he could be arrested.
The criminal was later confronted with the voice notes and claimed to detectives he was paid €300 by the officer to attack the female garda's home.
Garda bosses in the station immediately called in the force's Dublin-based Anti-Corruption Unit – who specialise in hunting down allegations of wrongdoing by serving officers.
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