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Garda whistleblower says she was sexually harassed by 'unstable' colleague who claimed he'd 'shot dead 27 people'

Summary

Lois West, a former deputy head of Garda Analytics, says she was sexually harassed and bullied by a senior officer at Garda Headquarters who claimed he had shot dead 27 people. West describes the officer as volatile and emotionally unstable, noting he would sit between her and her office door, speak for hours, and orchestrate one‑on‑one situations. She alleges he told stories of previous partners meeting "sticky ends" and left a bottle of alcohol and chocolates on her desk after an outburst. West says she complained to an assistant commissioner, who responded with a letter that she felt ignored her concerns and prioritized the officer. She claims the officer was later removed from the force. West is on long‑term sick leave and has filed complaints under the Protected Disclosures Act, Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act and Payment of Wages Act.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Garda whistleblower says she was sexually harassed by 'unstable' colleague who claimed he'd 'shot dead 27 people'. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• November 2020 Incident
• February 2021 Other
• April 2021 Other
• March 2021 Other
• December 2022 Other
• 2024-03-05 Publication

Why: Ms Dowling and Ms Galligan came into my office because I was in such a state I couldn't get a breath and the rest of my staff, out of respect for me, left, because they knew I wouldn't want to be seen," Ms West said. CNI source report

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Read the original CNI report