Gsoc officer resigns amid allegations he attended party Gerard Hutch attended on Monday The Irish Times

[ad_1]

A Garda Sochna Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) officer has resigned amid allegations he attended a party Gerard Hutch attended on the day he was cleared of murder charges.

Mr Hutch (60) was found not guilty of the 2016 murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel by the Special Criminal Court on Monday.

It is understood that the Gsoc investigator told a number of people that he attended a party at a house on Monday evening, which Mr Hutch was present at. The claim was later reported to Gsoc senior management and the agent has since resigned.

The Gsoc is an independent statutory body set up to provide oversight of policing in Ireland. Its main responsibility is to investigate matters relating to the conduct of garda.

A spokesperson for the Minister of Justice told the Irish Times that the Ministry of Justice and the Minister were aware of the incident involving a problem with a member of staff, but added that it would not be appropriate to comment on individual cases.

It is understood the officer has been involved in a number of high-profile investigations into potential garda misconduct.

A Gsoc spokesperson told The Irish Times that an investigation is continuing.

Gsoc has become aware in recent days of a potential conflict of interest involving a member of staff. Gsoc immediately opened an internal investigation into the matter. The officer concerned has now resigned and the Gsocs investigation is ongoing. Gsoc has no further comment for the moment.

[ Inside the Gerard Hutch PR machine: Whether it was intentional or not, he did very well at marketing himself ]

Security sources said the Gsoc investigator told colleagues he attended a party in Dublin’s north city center on Monday night and that Gerry Hutch was at the same gathering. Some Gsoc staff were concerned to hear the allegations and brought them to the attention of more senior figures within the Garda monitoring agency.

Garda sources said they believed the main social gathering to celebrate Mr Hutchs’ acquittal on Monday afternoon for the 2016 murder of David Byrne took place on Monday evening in the Dublin suburbs, attended of Mr. Hutch, and which was several miles north of downtown. .

The Gsoc investigator, who has now resigned, held a position of significant responsibility and investigated allegations of serious wrongdoing, including criminality, against Garda members. He is a very experienced investigator and has worked with Gsoc for a few years.

A Gsoc investigator has almost all the same powers as a member of the Garda, including the power to arrest and question any garda in relation to an ongoing Gsoc investigation. They would also be responsible for preparing cases for the DPP and assisting prosecutions initiated by the DPP when members of the Garda were accused of crimes and brought to trial.

The Gsoc was also to carry out additional investigations, including liaising with the Garda to locate Mr Hutchs last Monday evening hours after his acquittal and to establish which of these locations, if any, coincided with the movements on the same night than his now former investigator. .

Garda headquarters also said it was aware of the incident.

A garda source told the Irish Times that the details of the allegations would need to be looked at and then a decision would be made on whether there is anything An Garda Sochna needs to look into.

The trial of Mr. Hutch and two co-accused lasted 52 days before the court delivered its judgment on January 26. On Monday, Madam Justice Tara Burns, seated with Justices Sarah Berkeley and Grinne Malone, delivered her 140-page judgment.

The court said it was satisfied members of the Hutch family, acting as an organized crime group, were responsible for the Regency attack and the murder of David Byrne, but the case was not closed. proven against Gerard Hutch and he was free to go.

[ad_2]