Home > Sex assaults and drug offences also quashed by gardai

[Irish Independent] , Ryan, Philip Sex assaults and drug offences also quashed by gardai. (23 Dec 2012)

External website: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/sex-assaul...

THE whistleblower at the centre of the quashed penalty points controversy has compiled a 350-page dossier alleging a litany of more serious offences that he believes have gone unpunished due to garda malpractice.

The damning report, seen by the Sunday Independent, claims that hundreds of crimes – including sexual assaults, drug charges, public order offences and breaches of the intoxicating liquor act – have not been properly investigated by gardai.

It also alleges that almost 500 driving with no insurance charges and at least 150 dangerous driving offences were not followed up by members of the force despite being recorded in the garda pulse system.

The dossier, compiled by a serving garda sergeant, details offences in one garda division between 2008 and 2010 and is said to be supported with documentary evidence from the pulse system.

The whistleblower alleges that hundreds of charges were initially entered into the pulse system and marked "detected" but no court summons was issued and the records were later marked "undetected".

The report on garda work practices is sure to add pressure on Justice Minister Alan Shatter, who has been called on to launch a public inquiry into claims that gardai have cancelled thousands of penalty points given to motorists.

At a press conference last week, four TDs – Clare Daly, Mick Wallace, Joan Collins and Luke Flanagan – published details of the whistleblower's allegations that 66,000 traffic offences were quashed by senior gardai in the last four years.

The examples included a number of motorists who had penalty points or fixed charge notices terminated and later went on to be involved in fatal road traffic accidents.


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