A detective acquitted of forging a letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the investigation of an allegation of sexual abuse against a priest has failed to get High Court orders halting a disciplinary inquiry. Mr Justice Michael White rejected arguments by Det Garda Catherine McGowan, attached to Bray Garda station, who argued she should not be subject to a disciplinary inquiry as she was acquitted in a criminal process in 2015. This was not a case where the subject matter of the earlier criminal trial mirrors closely the disciplinary process, he said. He ruled that Det McGowan was not entitled to orders quashing the Garda commissioner’s June 2015 decision to set up a board of inquiry into alleged breaches of discipline. Disciplinary inquiryDet McGowan was assigned to investigate it and her alleged failure to do so was the subject matter of the disciplinary inquiry.

Source: The Irish Times November 16, 2017 20:15 UTC