David Taylor retires from Garda after Disclosures Tribunal findings

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

Former Garda press officer Superintendent David Taylor left An Garda Síochána on a full pension after the Disclosures Tribunal report was published in October 2018. His retirement ended the pending disciplinary investigation against him.

The tribunal, chaired by Mr Justice Peter Charleton, concluded that there had been a campaign of calumny against Sgt Maurice McCabe by former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan and that he was actively aided in it by Taylor. The report also found that Taylor seriously understated his own involvement. The Irish Times reported that Mr Justice Charleton found Taylor lied in an affidavit.

RTÉ reported that Taylor was suspended two days after the report was published and applied to retire the following day, having accrued more than the 30 years of service required. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris was understood to have received legal advice that he could not block the retirement. RTÉ also reported that the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission cannot investigate a retired Garda, and that one possibility was that a criminal investigation into possible perjury could begin.