Senior garda in High Court to halt media leak probe

A senior member of An Garda Síochána who is the subject of investigation over highly sensitive information being allegedly passed to the media has launched a High Court challenge aimed at halting the probe.

The action has been brought by Superintendent David Taylor who was in charge of the Garda Press Office between July 2012 and June 2014.

Supt Taylor is being investigated in relation to alleged breaches of Section 62 of the Garda Síochána Act and the 1998 Data Protection Act as well as alleged breaches of Garda discipline arising out of how sensitive information was passed to the media by An Garda Síochána on October 21, 2013.

The information concerned a childcare matter in south county Dublin.

That information became the subject of a number of reports in the media.

How the media acquired the information then became the subject of both a criminal investigation and an internal disciplinary investigation within An Garda Síochána.

Yesterday, the High Court heard Superintendent Taylor has concerns that evidence in the case is being tampered and interfered with and is concerned about how information concerning the investigation has been leaked to the media.

In his legal challenge against both the Garda Commissioner and the DPP, Supt Taylor wants injunctions halting the investigation until the commissioner provides a report and accounts for the conduct of the investigation as it has been carried out to date.

In particular, he wants that report to address concerns he has raised about the integrity and probity of the evidence gathered by the investigators.

Superintendent Taylor, who was transferred to the Traffic Division in 2014, also seeks a declaration that the manner in which the investigation has been carried out to date amounts to an interference with evidence and the administration of justice.

He further wants the court to grant orders preventing the Garda Commissioner and the DPP from taking any further steps in the investigation until further order of the court.

The matter came before Mr Justice Seamus Noonan at the High Court yesterday.

Judge Noonan directed the application for leave to bring the proceedings should be heard on notice to the other side and adjourned the case for two weeks.