Whistleblower ‘targeted’ after arresting garda for drink driving

Another Garda whistleblower has come forward with allegations that he was targeted by senior management after he arrested a colleague for drink driving.

Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty told the Dáil Garda Keith Harrison was today meeting with the interim confidential recipient.

He said Garda Harrison claims that “as a result of arresting a member of the drugs unit in Athlone for drunk driving that Garda management maliciously set about targeting him while the arrested Garda was afforded protection”.

Mr Doherty raised the allegations during a two-hour debate on the Guerin report into Garda malpractice in investigating 10 criminal cases.

“He claims that a managerial review of his high work returns and practices was instigated and persons who had past interactions with Garda Harrison in the execution of his duties were invited by the gardaí to make complaints against him.

He said Garda Harrison claimed that from September 2009 until March 2011 he was office-bound while the Garda he arrested for drink driving was still driving official vehicles and carrying an official firearm.

Garda Harrison makes serious claims about how the drunk driving case was struck out of court on dubious rulings and how evidence relating to the case was stolen by the gardaí. He also claims that a Garda of officer rank, stationed in Westmeath division, prevented successful prosecution of individuals in a number of cases.

Mr Doherty said he met Mr Harrison on Monday which was also attended by Garda John Wilson and Garda Nicky Keogh who had made serious claims about the connection of a major heroin dealer in the Midlands and a senior member of the drugs unit.

Garda Harrison said he had suspicions about a member of the drugs unit who may have been knowingly allowing the sale of drugs in the Athlone district, but claims it “fell on deaf ears” when he raised it with management.

Mr Doherty also said a civilian had come forward in recent days to corroborate claims by Garda Keogh in relation to heroin dealing and a member of the gardaí.

He said Garda Harrison received an award for bravery in 2007 for a life-saving incident and he described himself in an affidavit as “once a well-respected, ambitious and unblemished member of An Garda Síochána”.

But “through systematic and relentless bullying and intimidation and unmerited scrutiny I have in my view been totally undermined and destroyed. My good name and that of my family has now been tarnished and I now feel I have no option but to take this action”.

He had not reported it previously because nobody would believe him above Garda management.

Independent TD Mick Wallace said his office had been “snowed in” with hundreds of cases, which were “very sad to listen to”. He did not know how they would be handled but he said “something is going to have to be done”.

Referring to one case he said former garda Jack Doyle, revealed in 2000 some serious drug involvement by gardaí in the Cork area. At the time the Garda authority confirmed that undercover gardaí had been involved in the importation of illegal drugs in “controlled operations” which were necessary to bring the leaders of criminal drug gangs to justice.

Garda management rejected calls for an inquiry and said nothing inappropriate had occurred. He said the former garda told of how one of the drug runners told him there were many opportunities to arrest the boss of the criminal gang but failed to do so because “they have a senior Garda in their pockets”.

In one incident the drug runner was in Rosslare, returning with a shipment of drugs and a customs officer stopped him and was about to stop him and search the jeep when two plainclothes gardaí commandeered the jeep and drove out of the terminal at speed, being pursued by customs officers and the gardaí “lost their pursuers”.

The drug runner also spoke of leaving a handgun in a wooded area in Cork. He contacted a particular detective sergeant about the gun’s location and gardaí then added a number of firearms to “beef up the find” and the media reported it as a subversive arms find.

It was done to “further their careers in the force” and one of them was now an assistant Commissioner and “could actually be the next Commissioner”.