Gardaí irate at McDowell’s wife’s remarks to newspaper

GARDAÍ are infuriated by comments made by the Minister for Justice’s wife who said that if she was the victim of a crime she’d be reluctant to report it for fear her name would be leaked to the media.

Niamh Brennan, wife of Minister for Justice Michael McDowell, told a Sunday newspaper that an assault on her 14-year-old son, Hugh, last year was made worse because details about him were leaked to a tabloid newspaper, but none of the names of the four youths who attacked him were published.

“If it happened again I’d be reluctant to get the gardaí involved. And if I was attacked tomorrow for example, I would be very reluctant to go to them because I know my name would go in the paper,” she said.

Her son was punched in the face by members of a gang who accosted him on his way to his home in Ranelagh. He was rescued by a shopkeeper.

The comments made by the university professor, who has chaired high-profile government committees, further fuelled the debate on her husband’s plans to introduce a new bill aimed at halting alleged leaks by gardaí. Those found guilty would face fines of up to €30,000 or five years in jail.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for the Minister for Justice’s wife to be making such comments,” said Garda Representative Association president Michael Kirby.

He said he would expect that Niamh Brennan would have made a complaint to the authorities if she had concrete information about where the leak had come from. “If one member did it, then why should all the rest of us be tarred with the same brush,” said Mr Kirby.

He added there were nearly 12,500 gardaí in the force and it was unfair to make generalised comments which wouldn’t help morale.

Garda associations have already been very critical of Minister McDowell’s proposals to introduce new legislation to combat leaks, and especially comments that journalists have allegedly bribed gardaí for stories.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice said yesterday that Minister McDowell wouldn’t be making any comment in relation to his wife’s remarks.