The conviction last week of Trevor Bolger, a serving Garda, for assaulting his wife Margaret in 2012 when she was also a member of the force, raises troubling questions for An Garda Síochána.
The first concerns the difficulty Margaret Loftus encountered in getting her colleagues to take seriously her allegation that she was the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of another serving member. A meaningful investigation commenced only after she wrote directly to the Garda Commissioner’s office in 2018. Things moved swiftly after that, with Trevor Bolger charged in 2019. Last week he received a three month suspended sentence.
The second question is why Trevor Bolger continued to prosper in the force despite the allegations against him. He was promoted to detective and issued with a firearm prior to his suspension in 2019, apparently on full pay.
There is also the question of why the Garda commenced an investigation into how The Irish Times knew in mid-2020 that Trevor Bolger was before the courts. The court sessions were open to the media, but Bolger could not be named. Within months gardaí interviewed this paper’s crime and security editor as part of the investigation. He refused to disclose any information about sources or any other aspect of his research for the published reports.
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The alacrity displayed by the force in this regard stands in contrast to the lack of enthusiasm shown for investigating the initial allegations. Taken at face value, it suggests an organisation that closed ranks to protect its reputation instead of investigating an allegation of domestic abuse made by one of its own members against another member.
Garda Headquarters will now conduct an internal process to determine Bolger’s future in the force. His dismissal is not automatic. Commissioner Justin Kelly – who was singled out for praise by Margaret Loftus for his role in bringing her former husband to justice – must also address the wider questions raised by the case.
