Nicholas Keogh’s €300 disciplinary fine upheld on appeal

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

Garda Nicholas Keogh was fined €300 for neglect of duty, and Chief Superintendent Lorraine Wheatley upheld the fine on appeal. He was found not to be in breach of a separate discreditable conduct charge, which he denied.

The disciplinary matter was discussed at the Disclosures Tribunal before Judge Sean Ryan. The proceedings were reported on 16 October 2019. The report said Keogh was absent without leave from 11 to 14 July 2015 and had reported sick and unfit for duty on 9 July.

Keogh said the medically certified absence had been wrongly treated as an absence without leave. He said he had phoned the station on 10 July to say he was going off sick leave and described the call as a mix-up. He provided a retrospective sick certificate on 16 July covering the days.

A diary shown to the tribunal included entries reading “awol drink” for 11 and 12 July. In a statement, Superintendent Murray said Keogh acknowledged his absence and had said he reported fit for duty while drunk on 10 July, forgot the call and continued drinking over the following days. Superintendent Alan Murray considered Keogh’s stated work-related stress and heavy drinking in mitigation when imposing the fine.

Keogh also disputed the date of a phone call from Superintendent Patrick Murray, said he had not received documents about the disciplinary investigation and maintained that he had not knowingly avoided contact with his sergeants. The report said he would continue giving evidence for some days.

This case may have concluded differently. The outcome has not yet been confirmed by a public source we could find.