Maurice McCabe testified on alleged sexual abuse smear campaign

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

Maurice McCabe testified to the Disclosures Tribunal on 5 March 2018 about allegations that text messages accusing him of sexual abuse were circulated in an organised smear campaign.

McCabe said Superintendent David Taylor told him former commissioner Martin Callinan had compiled the messages and Taylor had forwarded them to journalists. Taylor’s barrister, Tara Burns SC, disputed that account and said the messages concerned media reports rather than abuse allegations. Callinan denied the allegations of a smear campaign against McCabe.

A 2006 assault complaint led to a Garda investigation and a recommendation from the DPP against prosecution because there was no evidence an assault had taken place. McCabe made a protected disclosure on 26 September 2016 about what he alleged Taylor had told him. The tribunal was continuing to hear McCabe’s evidence.