Kerry Garda Division ‘confident’ recordings put no legal case at risk

Chief Supt says calls were recorded as a ‘back-up’ to the 999 emergency service

The Chief Superintendent of the Kerry Garda Division said he is “very confident” no legal case from the division has or will be put at risk as a result of the telephone recording practice, which he confirmed took place at the main garda station.

Supt Pat Sullivan said the recording of 999 calls took place in Tralee and the main switch board number to the control room, but this would only be as a "back-up" to the 999 service.

Such recordings took place in Tralee and in none of the other 37 stations, which were now reduced to 25 stations in the division.

He also said in his experience no conversation between a solicitor and a client had been recorded as the cells or downstairs area of the station in Tralee had separate lines to the main control room and these lines were not recorded.

READ MORE

However, once calls were transferred from the main switch to internal lines, the recording “immediately” stopped . No calls were ever recorded between solicitors and clients, he told Radio Kerry.

"We have never utilised these tapes in court cases that I am aware of," said the Supt who has served most of his life in the Kerry Division and been involved in dozens of investigations.

“I have no reason to believe any case would be compromised down through the years in Kerry,” the garda said.

Supt Sullivan said Tralee was the only station to have recording equipment, which only technical gardaí would have had access to the recordings and local gardai would not have such access.

He said he was “very, very confident” there was no issue with any case in the division and stressed he could only speak for the Kerry Division.

Supt Sullivan said solicitors and clients spoke through a line separate from the control room and that was “definitely not” recorded.

The senior garda’s remarks came as a number of solicitors in the Kerry Division this week expressed concerns in the wake of the garda telephone controversy.

There were suggestions in one local newspaper the practice was taking place in the Killarney garda station, but this was denied by their chief superintendent.

Pa Daly, a Sinn Fein Tralee town councillor and one of the town's busiest solicitors, told local newspaper Kerry's Eye he had stopped talking to clients by telephone after the Morris tribunal into garda corruption in Donegal.

Other high profile solicitors including Pat Mann of Tralee and Padraig O’Connell of Killarney had also expressed concern.