Courts / Cork / Report

Investigation into complaint over handling of child sex allegation a 'sham', sergeant claimed

Date
2022-05-25

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Cork

County
Cork

Summary

In a Disclosures Tribunal hearing in Dublin Castle, retired Garda Sergeant Paul Barry accused the Garda Síochána of mishandling a 2012 complaint he made about the investigation of a child sexual assault allegation. Barry claimed that Superintendent Michael Comyns had bullied and harassed him, and that the investigation was prevented. He said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) later decided not to prosecute the child assault case. Barry alleged that Chief Superintendent Catherine Kehoe, appointed to investigate his bullying and harassment complaints, had delayed the investigation, "perverting the course of justice" by not treating his complaint promptly. Kehoe's reports, submitted in 2013, 2015 and 2016, found no evidence of misconduct by Comyns and no breach of Garda regulations. Barry maintained that the investigation was a sham, biased and lacked morality, sentiment and conscience, and that the sequence of investigations was improper.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Investigation into complaint over handling of child sex allegation a 'sham', sergeant claimed. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

November 2015 Incident
February 11, 2013 Other
May 2013 Other
August 2015 Other
May 2016 Other
July 2014 Incident
January 2016 Other
2022-05-25 Publication

Why: Today, Mr Barry told Mr Shane Murphy SC, for the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána, that he believed his bullying and harassment complaint should not have been investigated by Ch Supt Kehoe before the criminal complaint because while "I made the complaint, I did not consider myself a victim; I made the complaint on behalf of the victim". CNI source report