Bugging story was not challenged, editor tells tribunal

A newspaper editor instrumental in sparking one of the biggest tribunals in the history of the state today insisted his story about illegal Garda spying has never been challenged.

Former Donegal Democrat reporter Connie Duffy, 45, told the Morris Tribunal his front page story in the newspaper six years ago claiming garda stations were bugged got no reaction at the time.

Tribunal chairman Frederick Morris said the report, on May 17, 2001, was “pretty earth shattering stuff” that directly impacted on the establishment of the long running inquiry.

The retired High Court judge questioned why the now editor of the Donegal on Sunday newspaper never attempted to stand up the claims by solicitor Paudge Dorrian in the story.

The lawyer was reported as saying Garda stations in Letterkenny, Milford and Manorcunningham used covert taping devices to illegally record privileged conversations.

“Did you never think to try and follow it up with anybody else to see just what validity it had?” asked Mr Morris.

But Mr Duffy insisted the story stood up on its own as the solicitor went on the record with the allegations and knew he was going to be quoted.

The journalist said he could not recall whether he asked the Gardaí to respond to the claims before publication but added there had been no response from the force afterwards.

“No-one came that day, the day of publication or the next day or for the last 2,222 days,” he said.

“Normally if there is an inaccuracy there’ll be a clarification or correction published and no-one has ever appeared good, bad or indifferent to say the story was wrong.”

Mr Morris stressed the seriousness of the allegations being probed by the tribunal set up just less than a year after the original story.

“I’m sure you realise that it’s done an awful lot of damage in the sense that it has been instrumental in, among other things, setting up this tribunal, or I should say contributing towards setting up this tribunal,” the judge said.

Mr Duffy maintained he was reasonably happy that “being an officer of the court” Mr Dorrian was telling him something he believed to be true.

“If there had been a reaction to it maybe I would have taken it a stage further and tried harder maybe to see if we could get any more on it,” he told the hearing.

“But there was no reaction to it whatsoever.”

The reporter said he no longer had his notes as it was standard practice to keep them on record for just six months.

He said he was never asked to keep them by the tribunal, the Gardaí or Mr Dorrian.