Detective pleads guilty to leaking confidential report
Detective Sergeant Robert McNulty, 49, pleaded guilty before Judge Patricia Ryan in the Dublin circuit court yesterday to passing on the report on the Dean Lyons Inquiry before its official publication.
McNulty, who is from Rathfarnham, is the first garda to be charged and subsequently plead guilty to the offence.
In a brief hearing yesterday, McNulty pleaded guilty to the charge that on dates between July 10, 2006 and August 10, 2006 he received a draft copy of the inquiry into the Dean Lyons case — and on dates unknown in that period disclosed the contents of the report to Mick McCaffrey, who was then working with the Evening Herald.
The disclosure was contrary to sections 37 and 50 of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004.
The Commission of Investigation report into the charging of Dean Lyons, a homeless heroin addict, with two murders he did not commit in Grangegorman, had been conducted under the chairmanship of then SC, now Mr Justice George Bermingham.
The report was due to be published later in 2006, but the story appeared in the Evening Herald, which subsequently led to the arrest of Mr McCaffrey.
He was released and no charges have been brought against him.
Yesterday the court was told that McNulty is a serving member of An Garda Síochána and that he was keen for the matter of sentencing to be dealt with as soon as possible, ideally within the next two or three months.
Judge Ryan set a date of May 27 for a hearing for sentencing and remanded McNulty on continuing bail.
McNulty, of The Close, Boden Park in Rathfarnham, was formerly based in Store Street and Bridewell garda stations and was attached to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations (NCBI).
He is understood to be currently suspended from duty.
Possible penalties include a large fine or prison sentence.
