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Taylor ordered to tell media McCabe was "motivated by maliciousness and revenge", tribunal hears

Summary

Supt Taylor, the applicant, testified before the Charleton Tribunal that former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan ordered him to brief media that whistleblower Maurice McCabe was motivated by maliciousness and revenge. Supt Taylor alleged he received specific verbal instructions in 2013 to highlight a 2006 abuse allegation against McCabe, which the DPP had declined to prosecute, as the core of McCabe's campaign. Supt Taylor stated he acted on these direct orders due to his rank and respect for the Commissioner. He further claimed that Callinan and then Deputy Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan led a high-level campaign to discredit McCabe. Supt Taylor noted that he believed this campaign ended when Callinan stepped down. He also testified that Callinan was agitated when a journalist visited his private home regarding penalty points, which Callinan deemed a breach of privacy. Supt Taylor clarified that his protected disclosure was not for personal protection but to inform the relevant authority. He stated that any text messages sent to Callinan were background updates, though he acknowledged a discrepancy regarding the transfer of data from his phone, which he gave to his daughter and later donated to charity. The tribunal is currently examining these allegations, which Callinan denies.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Taylor ordered to tell media McCabe was "motivated by maliciousness and revenge", tribunal hears. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• 28 March 2013 Other
• January 2014 Other
• October 2013 Incident
• September 2014 Other
• 2018-05-14 Publication

Why: Supt Taylor he was not seeking any "personal protection" in making the disclosure, and his "primary motive was to bring the information I had to the relevant authority". CNI source report

Case subjects

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report