Corrib ‘rape tape’ probe nears end
GSOC chairman Dermot Gallagher said all five gardaí implicated had been interviewed and the investigation should be “tied up by the end of the summer”.
The probe was set up when five gardaí were recorded having a conversation among themselves after they arrested two female protesters at a Corrib gas protest in Mayo in April.
Up to three of them were recorded laughing and joking about raping one of the women.
The recording was put on the internet and one of the women, Jerrie Ann Sullivan, went public. It is understood the second woman did not make a complaint and does not want to be involved in the matter.
The GSOC investigation has been delayed by obtaining a statement from the complainant, accessing the recording and interviewing one of the five gardaí.
Speaking at the publication of the GSOC 2010 annual report, Mr Gallagher said they were receiving co-operation from all the parties involved.
“All the gardaí have been interviewed. Some more evidence is to be gathered. The tape was sent out of the jurisdiction to be forensically analysed. Hopefully we can tie it up by the end of the summer.”
Meanwhile, he said a long-running “public interest” inquiry into claims of collusion between gardaí and convicted drug dealer Kieran Boylan was coming to a conclusion.
“I believe work has already started on drafting the report. I believe we’re in the end stage.”
The annual report said 2,258 complaints were made in 2010, involving 4,931 allegations of misconduct by gardaí. This compared to 2,097 complaints and 3,509 allegations in 2009. Details of the outcomes of investigations in 2010 show:
* Unsupervised investigations (by gardaí): Of the 1,089 cases, 520 (48%) involved no breaches by gardaí, 425 (40%) required no further investigation and 61 (6%) resulted in actions against gardaí.
* GSOC-supervised investigations: Of the 226 cases, 110 (49%) involved no breaches by gardaí, 79 (35%) required no further investigation and 20 (9%) ended in action against gardaí
* GSOC-conducted investigations: Of the 867 cases, 396 (46%) required no further investigation, 289 (33%) found no misbehaviour by gardaí and just 17 (2%) resulted in action against gardaí.
Some 27 files were sent to the DPP, involving 31 gardaí and seven civilians.
The DPP directed 11 prosecutions.
* gardaombudsman.ie
