Courts / Westmeath / Report

Witness told it was "waste of time" to complain to gardai about alleged drug dealer, tribunal hears

Date
2019-11-26

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Athlone

Summary

In a hearing before the Disclosures Tribunal, a civilian witness, Ms. O'Neill, testified that Gardaí approached her after she had made allegations of police collusion involving Garda Nicholas Keogh, a whistleblower who had disclosed alleged misconduct in 2014. Ms. O'Neill, who lived on the same Athlone estate as the alleged heroin dealer Ms. B, claimed that she was told by Garda Keogh to name names and that she had been advised to include Ms. B in her statement. Both Keogh and O'Neill denied that Keogh had instructed her to do so. O'Neill also recounted that two Gardaí, Tom Higgins and Detective Sergeant Eamon Curley, visited her estate two days after her station visit, asking about Keogh and whether she feared giving a statement. She said they were not interested in the dispute itself but only in Keogh.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Witness told it was "waste of time" to complain to gardai about alleged drug dealer, tribunal hears. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When: