Daniel Webb awaits sentencing in Garda Pulse corruption case

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Daniel Webb pleaded guilty to two counts of active and passive corruption at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 26 July 2023.

The charges concerned events at unknown locations on 6 and 9 September 2019. Judge Orla Crowe adjourned the case for finalisation until 6 October 2023, saying she needed to consider the unusual matter.

Detective Sergeant James King told the court that gardaí received confidential information in January 2020 that Holly Hayden, a civilian Garda employee, was passing Pulse information to third parties. Messages found after a search showed that Hayden sent Webb a document containing Pulse information on 6 September 2019 and a synopsis on 9 September. She received cocaine in exchange on both occasions.

The court heard that 17 lines of intelligence related to Webb and people associated with him, and that screenshots were also sent to him. James Dwyer SC, defending, said Hayden had approached Webb in a local pub. Det Sgt King agreed with counsel that messages showed Webb had encouraged Hayden at one point not to look up more information.

Webb had no previous convictions. Defence counsel said a probation report indicated that Webb was at the peak of his drug use during the offending, spending up to €200 a night on cocaine and Xanax. Counsel said reports put him at low risk of reoffending and that he was in stable employment.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.