Gardai have now launched an investigation into a GSOC officer who is alleged to have attended a party with Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch.
GSOC has formally asked An Garda Siochana to carry out a probe into claims that their officer, who has now retired, attended a “welcome home” party for Hutch following his acquittal of the Regency Hotel murder of David Byrne. The officer was facing an internal investigation into the claims but resigned during the week — meaning he did not have to engage with the probe.
Gerry Hutch may also be spoken to as part of the investigation. In a statement, gardai confirmed the probe, saying: “An Garda Siochana has today started an inquiry to examine whether there was any criminality involved relating to a former GSOC investigator.”
Read more: Fears GSOC officer may leave Ireland following Gerry Hutch party claims
In its own statement GSOC said it submitted a report to the Minister for Justice “outlining the action it has taken to date concerning the resignation of a member of our staff”. “When GSOC became aware last week of a potential conflict of interest involving a member of our staff, we immediately removed that member’s access to our systems and commenced an initial internal investigation,” they said.
“We took these steps promptly...so as to preserve the integrity of our systems and facilitate proper investigation of all matters relating to this. It is not GSOC’s policy to investigate itself and we see independent investigation as integral to proper oversight, due process and fairness.
“It is of paramount importance to establish whether any concerns of a criminal nature arise. GSOC is committed to ensuring that any further investigation into this matter that may prove necessary is carried out independently, to ensure that public confidence in the oversight of policing in Ireland is both fostered and maintained.”
It comes as this paper can also reveal that the officer had access to the Garda Pulse system — which has sparked major concern among the force. Brendan O’Connor, President of the Garda Representative Association revealed to The Star that several gardai have come to him expressing concern, having themselves been investigated by this GSOC officer.
“We’ve already had a number of queries into our office from members who have been [investigated] and the name of the person who seems to be involved,” he said. “A number of members have contacted us with concerns about how investigations they were subjected to were handled.”
Garda O’Connor, who spoke at the GRA’s annual conference in Westport, Co Mayo, also expressed concern that the GSOC officer in question allegedly had access to the Pulse system. “Well obviously we’re not commenting on individual circumstances, but anybody who has access to Pulse information which is crucial towards conducting a criminal investigation, has to be subject to the same scrutiny and oversight that our members are.
Read more: Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch may never face fresh charges over Regency hotel shooting
“What we have are periodical audits where people have to provide a valid lawful reason why they access that on Pulse, so we hope that applies to members of GSOC. We don’t know what oversight there is,” he said.
In a statement, Minister for Justice Simon Harris also revealed he received the report he requested from the chairperson of GSOC in relation to the issue. “The Minister notes that GSOC has now referred the matter to An Garda Siochana to establish if any concerns of a criminal nature arise,” Mr Harris said.
Sources have told The Star that former colleagues of the man believe he could fly out of Ireland as early as this week. And they also told us that GSOC has no power to comply the man to talk — because he has resigned.
“He is not a GSOC staff member anymore and cannot be ordered to talk to staff investigating the whole thing,” a source said last night. He is a foreign national and can leave any time he wants. The fear is he will fly out of Ireland imminently. There is no reason for him to stay here and every reason for him to get out.”
Three days after our bombshell revelation about the GSOC investigator created a national political storm, we have now learned that the former investigator had access to the Garda file on the Regency Airport Hotel attack — including evidence against and intelligence about Mr Hutch, 60. The man caused a massive controversy when he told a colleague last Tuesday that he had attended a party with Mr Hutch on Monday evening — just hours after the non-jury Special Criminal Court acquitted him of the February 2016 murder of key Kinahan associate David Byrne.
The party is alleged to have take place in a property in north Dublin. His colleague was so alarmed by the man’s claim that they immediately contacted their superiors — who then challenged the investigator.
Read more: Derek 'Del Boy' Hutch strolls down O'Connell Street despite heightened threat
The superiors told the investigator they would have to investigate his own claims and demanded his official GSOC phone — but he then resigned. Despite that resignation, GSOC is still carrying out an investigation into the man’s claims he attended a party.
But the matter is being taken so seriously now that sources have told us GSOC investigators are likely to examine every case the man — who worked at the organisation for almost five years — was involved in. It is understood the now-resigned GSOC officer was part of the investigation into the death of Detective Superintendent Colm Fox, who was the lead investigator into the murder of David Byrne at Dublin’s Regency Hotel Airport in 2016.
Det Supt Fox died in a horrific tragedy in Ballymun Garda Station in 2019. As such, the man had access to the Garda investigative file into the Regency — including highly secret information.
Sources say every interaction the ex-investigator had — on the Regency case and other investigations — will now have to be looked at again.
The sources also said multiple GSOC files the man worked on included personal details on a significant number of gardai he was investigating — and the body will have to probe if any of that data has been compromised.
And we have also learned that GSOC bosses were unhappy with the man’s behaviour.
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