Response of garda chief "a kick in the teeth", McCabe tells tribunal

Garda Sergeant Maurice McCabe gave evidence before the Charleton tribunal in Dublin, describing the response to an internal investigation into his complaints of malpractice at Bailieboro Garda Station in Co Cavan as "a kick in the teeth". A 2011 circular from then Chief Superintendent Colm Rooney congratulated gardaí at the station, claiming the report vindicated their standards, despite eleven of McCabe's forty-two complaints being upheld. Mr Rooney, now retired, subsequently told the tribunal his circular was inappropriate. McCabe testified that he felt forced to resign from his post in March 2008 due to lack of managerial support and accountability. He described a culture within An Garda Síochána that made speaking out "extremely hard". McCabe said his disclosures regarding penalty points "really hit hard in the force" and noted receiving hundreds of supportive letters from across the country following his public identification as a whistleblower.