JUDGE CONDEMNS TAYLOR AS A BITTER LIAR

FORMER Garda press officer Superintendent David Taylor, whose allegations formed the heart of the tribunal, was ‘completely undermined by his own bitterness’, Judge Peter Charleton found.

The judge said: ‘Superintendent Taylor chose to present a public lie to the people of Ireland. It was enthusiastically taken up. Furthermore, it cast a pall of pretended deceit over the entire police force. Then, no-one knew better. Now, they do.’

Mr Taylor had claimed in a protected disclosure he was ordered by Martin Callinan, then Garda commissioner, to destroy the character of Maurice McCabe through briefings to journalists. Such briefings referred to the historic, and unfounded, allegation of sexual abuse of a minor.

Mr Taylor had claimed Nóirín O’Sullivan was fully aware of this campaign and he even went as far as to suggest to Sgt McCabe that she was the ‘pusher’ of the plan.

The judge said: ‘Supt David Taylor spun a deceit that his boss, Commissioner Martin Callinan, with whom he was on the best of terms for all his time in the press office of Garda Headquarters, and Nóirín O’Sullivan, who he decided for his own bitter reasons he didn’t like and was not up to the job, were on the one hand composing and on the other approving derogatory messages about Maurice McCabe.’ Judge Charleton added: ‘The truth is that Supt David Taylor completely understated his own involvement in a campaign of calumny against Maurice McCabe. He claimed... he was acting under orders. That was not the case.’

He said Supt Taylor was bitter against Ms O’Sullivan as she had removed him from the post of Garda press officer and her detective husband was investigating claims Supt Taylor had leaked information to the media. The judge said: ‘Supt David Taylor had every reason to lie about Commissioner O’Sullivan.’

However he added that ‘no newspaper or media outlet ever traduced the character of Maurice Mccabe’, either because of anything said by Supt Taylor or otherwise.