SUSPENDED | Garda under probe for allegedly accessing and distributing child sex abuse material

Electronic devices seized as officer is suspended from duty

Several electronic devices were seized in a raid on the garda's home. © Stock image - PA Wire/Press Association Images 

A garda is under investigation for allegedly accessing and distributing child sexual abuse material and has been suspended from the force, the Sunday World can reveal.

The officer had his home raided last Sunday, during the course of which it is understood a number of electronic devices were seized. 

On the same day investigators also searched the officer’s locker at the garda station where he is based.

The rank and file officer — who is understood to be a married man with children, based in Leinster — was suspended from duty on Sunday.

A major garda investigation into his alleged crimes is now underway.

The garda has yet to be arrested. It is normal practice in complex investigations for specialist officers to first seize and examine all electronic devices that have been detected allegedly accessing or distributing child sex abuse material.

After all the relevant evidence has been examined by technical experts, and if a case then exists, the suspect is arrested and questioned.

One source said the officer should not be condemned at this early stage, and added that it is the job of specialist investigators to carry out their enquiries undeterred.

“The garda was immediately suspended and the investigation should now be allowed to take its course. The fact that the suspect is a garda officer has absolutely no relevance to how the case will be investigated,” said a source.

The case is “by far” the most serious case of alleged criminal wrongdoing by a serving garda currently under investigation, and has “sent shockwaves” through the force in recent days.

When contacted, a spokesperson for Garda Headquarters said: “An Garda Siochana are investigating allegations in relation to accessing child sexual abuse material.

“A garda in the Eastern Region has been suspended.”​

With many thanks to the: Sunday World and Ali Bracken (Sunday Independent) for the original story. 

Follow these links to find out more on this story: DISTRESSING | Garda found guilty of sex assault on colleague dismissed from force and jailed for one year

Behind the scenes with the gardaí who chase online child abusers

SUSPENDED | Garda under probe for allegedly accessing and distributing child sex abuse material

DISTRESSING | Garda found guilty of sex assault on colleague dismissed from force and jailed for one year

A male garda who sexually assaulted a female colleague presented himself to gardaí last Tuesday and was jailed over the attack, in compliance with a court order.

Anthony Gath (31), of Bunaterin, Tullamore, Co Offaly, has been dismissed from the force 

On December 7, Anthony Gath received a three-year sentence, with the final two years suspended.

Tullamore Circuit Court heard that Gath (31), of Bunaterin, Tullamore, Co Offaly, has been dismissed from the force.

He was found guilty of sexually assaulting the female garda at her home in June 2019. The assault was committed after a number of gardaí were on a night out.

Judge Keenan Johnson heard that Gath had been friendly with the victim, and on the evening prior to the offence they both had been at the races and then went on to a hotel with other colleagues.

After that they went to the victim’s apartment and she went to bed because she was on duty the next day.

Gath who “had a considerable amount of drink taken” came to her room along with another female garda, and it was arranged he would stay the night, sleeping in the victim’s room.

The judge said the victim did not have any recollection of Gath getting into the bed, but was woken during the night and could feel the man’s hand under her underwear.

She told him to get out of the room and was very distressed. A garda investigation ensued.

Because of the “time of year” the judge ordered that the sentence begin on January 10 and that Gath must present himself to a garda station on that date.

Gath presented himself on Tuesday to officers at Tullamore station and was jailed.

With many thanks to the: Sunday World and Ali Bracken (Sunday Independent) for the original story. 

Follow these links to find out more on this story: SUSPENDED | Garda under probe for allegedly accessing and distributing child sex abuse material

Behind the scenes with the gardaí who chase online child abusers

DISTRESSING | Garda found guilty of sex assault on colleague after night out is jailed for one year

Allowing sex offenders register at any divisional Garda Station allows them to go undetected, TD warns

Oireachtas

Denis Naughten warns that much of the new legislation puts rights in hands of offenders rather than victims.

Allowing convicted sex offenders register at any Garda divisional headquarters on their release from prison will facilitate high-risk sex offenders going undetected, the Dáil has been warned.

Independent TD Denis Naughten called for offenders to be obliged to register with their local Garda station because it was local gardaí who would be responsible for monitoring them.

The Roscommon-Galway TD was speaking during the final debate in the Dáil on the Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill which creates a more robust sex offenders register, prohibits offenders working with children and can make them subject to electronic tagging.

The legislation will also allow An Garda Síochána to release information about sex offenders including pictures, in certain specific circumstances.

Denis Naughten, who has campaigned for the legislation for the past 13 years, says he is not happy with the final Bill but it is a “significant improvement” on what had been in place previously. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw

Mr Naughten, who has campaigned for the legislation for the past 13 years, said he was not happy with the final Bill but it was a “significant improvement” on what had been in place previously and would create a register of offenders that gardaí could enforce.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said it was a really important piece of legislation and its overall objective was to “support and enhance and improve the management and monitoring of sex offenders in this country, in our community”.

An amendment introduced by Mr Naughten called for offenders to be obliged to register with their local Garda station. He warned that the “overall thrust of much of the legislation puts rights into the hands of the offender rather than the victim or the future potential victims of these individuals”.

He said there could be a situation where someone who was convicted of a very serious offence, was considered to be a high-risk sex offender and resides in a rural townland in Roscommon or Galway, could notify Wexford town.

The Garda in Roscommon or Galway “to make contact with this individual, has to try to track them down and trace them within seven days, have them fingerprinted, have them photographed.

“And the difficulty is that the system does not allow that to happen.”

He added that “we’re supposed to rest assured an email is being sent to Garda stations across the country, that this individual has registered in Wexford town”.

Mr Naughten said “the likelihood is that they have to go through literally hundreds of these updates that come in relation to every single sex offender across the country”.

He said “we are giving too much power to offenders who want to remain underground, who want to remain undetected”.

Ms McEntee rejected the amendment and said the measure had been agreed with the Garda Commissioner. “It’s not to restrict where a person can register themselves. It’s to try to make sure that if a person is moving or if they are outside of their own home place, that they can still register even if they are moving only for a short period of time.”

She added that compliance was high but Mr Naughten said: “There are 70 breaches a year for the last two decades, because the system, as it is structured, puts all the cards in the hands of the sex offender.”

However Mr Naughten’s amendment was rejected by 118 votes to nine.

Later Ms McEntee pledged that she would raise with Google three cases which Mr Naughten raised where the reported convictions were removed under the right to be forgotten.

The Minister had said that “a sexual offence is never going to be allowed to be forgotten”, when Mr Naughten introduced an amendment to prevent Google and other internet engines from removing such court reports.

But when Mr Naughten cited reports of three cases where convictions for possession of child sex abuse material were removed, she promised to raise the issue when meeting Google representatives. Mr Naughten withdrew his amendment on that basis.

With many thanks to the: Irish Times and Marie O'Halloran for the original publication. 

Follow this link to find out more on this story:Allowing sex offenders register at any divisional Garda Station allows them to go undetected, TD warns