Maurice McCabe bullying claim aired at Charleton tribunal

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

The Charleton tribunal heard that Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe had been bullied and called a “rat” on social media. The proceedings were reported on 21 July 2017.

His barrister, Michael McDowell, said McCabe had faced hostility from certain sources in the Cavan-Monaghan division. Retired chief superintendent James Sheridan said he knew McCabe was being bullied, but denied that he had undermined him.

The tribunal was examining allegations of a smear campaign against McCabe. A 2014 notification sent to gardaí after Ms D sought counselling erroneously contained serious allegations from an unrelated case. Following Ms D’s 2006 complaint against McCabe, the DPP had directed that there be no prosecution because there was no evidence of an offence.

Sheridan described the incorrect notification as a disastrous error caused by the HSE, and said it was not the fault of the gardaí. The tribunal was continuing.