David Taylor denied claims over smear texts at tribunal

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

Counsel for Superintendent David Taylor told the Disclosures Tribunal on 6 March 2018 that he denied telling Sergeant Maurice McCabe that former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan had sent hundreds of texts to smear him with false child-sex-abuse claims.

Tara Burns SC said Taylor accepted sending hundreds of texts, but they concerned developments and media coverage involving McCabe. The report said the Director of Public Prosecutions had found that the child-sex-abuse allegations against McCabe did not happen.

Burns said Taylor disputed telling McCabe that someone called “Kieran” at Garda headquarters was monitoring his Pulse use. Taylor assumed McCabe’s use was being monitored but did not know, she said. She also said he had not told McCabe there was a secret file on him called Óisin, although there was a computer server of that name.

McCabe said he was certain about what Taylor had told him. The men met at Taylor’s home for three hours on 20 September 2016. McCabe said he had taken accurate notes, though they were neither verbatim nor complete.

The tribunal chair, Mr Justice Charleton, said a “chasm” had opened between the two men’s accounts. The proceedings were reported on 7 March 2018.