McDowell denies hypocrisy over leak

MICHAEL McDOWELL yesterday rejected allegations of hypocrisy after preventing the gardaí from providing certain information to the media while doing so himself.

Section 62 of the Garda Síochána Act, signed into law this year, prevents members of the force from disclosing “any information obtained in the course of carrying out duties of that person’s office... if the person knows the disclosure of that information is likely to have a harmful effect”.

In the most serious cases, officers leaking confidential information could be fined up to €50,000 and/or receive prison sentences of up to five years. There are 10 categories of information deemed likely to have a “harmful effect”, including leaks that impede the “prosecution of a suspected offender”.