Academics warned over deleting ‘rape tape’
The development comes as the university yesterday admitted that deleting the material was “inadvisable”.
It said individuals involved were “acting out of a concern for student welfare”, a “genuine belief” the material was not relevant and confidentiality issues surrounding the deleted items.
A GSOC report into the so-called Corrib “rape tape” found six files on a camcorder had been deleted and overwritten shortly before the tape had been handed over to the watchdog.
The report did confirm that recorded comments on the tape by two gardaí — who joked about raping two women under arrest — had been made and the gardaí may face disciplinary action.
The interim report said that the level of cooperation provided to the investigation by a number of persons, including some individuals associated through academic links with the two women, had been “unsatisfactory”.
“It is the commission’s view that issues arising in relation to obstruction of GSOC officers will require further consideration”.
The Irish Examiner understands GSOC is considering whether a criminal offence has been committed and if it warrants a file to the Director of Prosecutions.
However, such a serious course of action is thought unlikely, not least because of the difficulty proving an offence had been committed and the likelihood that what was deleted may have been irrelevant.
An NUI Maynooth lecturer was reported yesterday as saying they had invited GSOC to supervise deletion of irrelevant research material from the tape, but the watchdog had “refused” to do so. Dr Brid Connolly said academics had “no option” but to delete files “not relevant” to the investigation. She said there were issues relating to the confidentiality of people interviewed in these recordings.
The Irish Examiner understands that GSOC investigators made it clear to the researchers that the tape was evidence and that interfering with it was illegal.
In a statement yesterday, NUI Maynooth said: “NUI Maynooth has read the interim report of the Garda Ombudsman Commission. The university prioritises the safety and welfare of its staff and students at all times. It also upholds and supports the process of statutory bodies and complied fully with its obligations in relation to this investigation.
“The university is of the view that the deletion of material from the tape was inadvisable. It is nonetheless satisfied that the individuals concerned were acting out of a concern for student welfare, out of a genuine belief that the particular material deleted was not relevant to the inquiry and with a view to preserving the confidentiality of a research record that was unrelated to the specific incident.”
