Garda ombudsman to probe force's treatment of female member assaulted by her garda husband

One aspect under investigation will be why the husband was promoted to the rank of detective after Garda the investigation into him was started

Trevor Bolger (pictured) is still a member of An Garda Síochána but has been suspended since 2019 when he was charged. Photo: Collins Courts

The garda ombudsman is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into how a female garda was treated in the organisation after she was assaulted by her husband who was also a serving garda.

A sentencing hearing heard that Margaret Loftus was assaulted by her then husband in October 2012 in front of their children. 

On April 28 last, Trevor Bolger pleaded guilty to assault under Section two of the non-fatal offences against the person act. He is still a member of An Garda Síochána but has been suspended since 2019 when he was charged.

The guilty plea was made on the day the trial was due to begin. In two interviews with investigating gardaí prior to that, Bolger had denied that any assault had taken place.

In a victim impact statement at Wednesday’s sitting of the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Ms Loftus said Bolger was, by his own admission, “an abuser and a perpetrator of domestic violence”.

A sentencing hearing heard that Margaret Loftus (pictured) was assaulted by her then husband in October 2012 in front of their children. Picture: Collins Photos

“I felt that colleagues knew what had happened that night in Mayo and treated me differently and there was a stigma attached to me,” she said. 

She also effusively praised gardaí from the Protective Services Bureau who had investigated the assault and built a case against Bolger.

Among the elements of the case understood to be the focus of the ombudsman’s investigation are:

• The access to firearms that was afforded to Bolger after he did a spell in a psychiatric institution following the assault.
• The response Ms Loftus received within An Garda Síochána when she notified superiors that her husband had been violent, necessitating the application for a barring order.
• Why, when Ms Loftus applied for a transfer to her native west of Ireland following the assault, she was initially granted it but this was then rescinded. She had relocated herself when she got word that the transfer was cancelled. She is understood to have told Fiosru (formerly GSOC) that she was never given an explanation as to why it was cancelled.
• Why no action was taken against Trevor Bolger until Ms Loftus contacted a senior management figure in AGS who then set in train an investigation into Bolger’s conduct.
• Why Bolger was promoted to the rank of detective after the investigation into him was started and after he had been interviewed by the investigating gardaí.

In response to a series of questions, a spokesperson said An Garda Síochána “does not comment on GSOC investigations".

The spokesperson also pointed to statements and commitments made by Commissioner Drew Harris that “there is zero tolerance for domestic abuse outside and inside of An Garda Síochána”.

“Commissioner Harris has consistently stated the need to suspend the small minority of gardaí who allegedly engage in serious criminal behaviour such as domestic abuse in order to protect individuals and society, and maintain public trust in An Garda Síochána.”