Probe into why senior official had to apologise

A powerful Dáil group is set to write to the Department of Justice to clarify why a senior official who said judges “don’t take burglaries seriously” was forced to apologise the following day.

The cross-party public accounts committee said it wants to know if assistant secretary general Jimmy Martin was pressured into the climbdown by any politician or backroom official, warning “raising a complaint seems to be frowned on”.

During a PAC meeting last Thursday, Mr Martin told the committee judges “don’t view burglaries as a serious offence”.

The comments, which came days after Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald launched the high-profile €5m Operation Thor initiative to tackle rural crime, were quickly clarified by the department’s acting secretary general Noel Waters.

After significant media focus on the claims, Mr Martin wrote to the president of the district court to apologise.

However, during yesterday’s PAC meeting Government and opposition TDs said they are deeply concerned how an official has suddenly changed their view and that they will write to the department to clarify why.

Independent TD Shane Ross said the committee needs to know “what motivated” the U-turn and asked “did anyone either political or in justice approach him [Mr Martin]”.

Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said she is concerned “raising a comment seems to be frowned on” and that the remark wasn’t made “in a pub or a bus”, while committee chair and Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness said it is a worrying when someone is chastised “for expressing a view”.