GSOC to probe man’s complaint
THE Garda Ombudsman is to investigate a complaint by a Wexford man over an alleged neglect of duty following a report of an incident at his house earlier this year.
James Breen, from Devereux Villas, wrote to GSOC complaining that gardai had failed to turn up at his house after he filmed people on CCTV ‘behaving suspiciously’ outside the premises in April.
GSOC has now written to Mr Breen saying that his complaint is admissable and will be investigated.
It says the allegation of ‘your complaint(s) admitted for investigation are as follows: 1. Mr Breen alleges neglect of duty in response to his report of incidents at his property’.
Asked by this newspaper about the incident outside his house, Mr Breen said that when he viewed his security camera footage, he could see two men at the locked gate. He said one of them appeared to be attempting to get something out his mailbox. The alleged incidents happened ‘in broad daylight’.
He alleges that after they had driven off, he found ‘a very serious object’ in his mailbox. Mr Breen alleges that when he called the local gardai he was told to ‘drop down the next morning’. ‘I was shocked as no assistance was offered (and) no garda car came to my house to take fresh finger prints or to view the security camera footage of this crime,’ said Mr Breen, who is calling for gardai from outside Wexford to carry out the investigation.