Report says Gardaí withheld information on disgraced judge

Judge Brian Curtin was on a list of men who had allegedly accessed child porn on the internet before being appointed to the Circuit Court, according to a report in today's Sunday Independent.

The report said the Gardaí failed to tell the Minister for Justice that Judge Curtin was on a list given to them by Interpol in August 2001, three months before his appointment as a Circuit Court judge.

Gardaí confirmed they did not pass on any information to Minister John O'Donoghue about the appearance of Judge Curtin's name on the list of 100 Irish men who had used credit cards to access an American-run paedophile internet site.

The information comes from a statement issued by current Justice Minister Michael McDowell, but according to the report, its significance was lost in “the highly-charged atmosphere” of the launch of the European and local elections.

The report also claimed that neither Minister O'Donoghue nor his Department sought information on Judge Curtin's suitability before he was recommended by the Cabinet for appointment to the Circuit Court.