Garda allegedly had relationship with teenage girl

AN investigation has been launched by the Garda Siochána Ombudsman Commission into allegations that a member of the force engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

It is understood the mother of the girl approached gardaí about the matter, but declined to make a formal complaint.

However, officers put her in contact with the commission after she claimed she found inappropriate messages on her daughter’s Facebook page that purportedly came from the garda, who is understood to be in his 20s.

Commission investigators are believed to have seized his personal computer as part of their inquiries and to have interviewed him about his alleged relationship with the teenager.

Investigators have also spoken to the girl and her mother and are understood to be in the process of preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the matter.

It has emerged that the same garda was under internal investigation after a complaint was made last year that he had an inappropriate relationship with another 15-year-old girl.

That investigation was sparked when the girl’s parents made a complaint against him. He got to know the girl who lived in the town he was stationed in at the time.

The latest claim comes from a teenager who lives in a different county.

It is understood that the garda was suspended from duty when it was learnt that a second complaint had been made against him.

The parents who made the complaint over a year ago alleged that the garda had made an inappropriate approach to their daughter, again on Facebook.