Shatter: Claims of threats are outrageous

Justice Minister Alan Shatter said it was “outrageous” to suggest that he “threatened anybody or authorised to threaten anybody” over attempts to blow the whistle within An Garda Síochána.

He was responding to a transcript between a garda whistleblower at the centre of penalty points allegations and the confidential recipient within the force, which was detailed in Saturday’s Irish Examiner.

The conversation between the confidential recipient, Oliver Connolly, and Sergeant Maurice McCabe took place in January 2012 when the former raised concerns about Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan’s intentions to promote a senior officer who was under investigation.