The identity of the person who leaked a copy of Ms Justice Laffoy's judgment in the Baby A case to The Irish Times was unknown, Dr Michael Forde, SC, counsel for the Aadam's crisis pregnancy counselling agency told the High Court yesterday. Dr Forde was withdrawing a motion to have the Eastern Health Board submit sworn affidavits relating to any part, if any, it may have played in the leakage. Ms Justice McGuinness said she had read two affidavits submitted by the health board to the court. Copies of the affidavits were afterwards provided to the press.
Ms Sinead Kearney, a solicitor with Roger Greene & Sons, City Gate, Lower Bridge Street, Dublin, made an affidavit "on behalf of, and with the consent of, the Eastern Health Board". She said she was the solicitor attending the court on August 26th when Ms Justice Laffoy delivered an approved copy of her judgment.
Counsel for the board indicated to the court that it had received two inquiries for information about the case - from Carol Coulter, a journalist employed by The Irish Times newspaper, and from one of the principals of the Aadam's crisis pregnancy counselling agency.
Ms Kearney said the principals of the agency on August submitted to the court that the EHB had "a collateral objective" in its conduct of the proceedings but the court strongly rejected this.
At the conclusion of the proceedings she had not obtained a copy of the approved judgment and she or the board had not obtained one until the late morning of August 30th, the date of publication of the judgment by The Irish Times.
Mr Paul Harrison, director of childcare and family support services in the EHB, said the board did not have a copy of the approved judgment until August 30th but between August 16th and August 30th had been furnished by its solicitors with a copy of the unapproved judgment. This copy was confined to people directly concerned with the case.