Justice boss praised Callinan’s ‘exceptional performance’ at PAC
Tribunal hears of revealing texts between the two men
A TEXT to Garda commissioner Martin Callinan, praising him for his ‘exceptional performance under fire’, was ‘an expression of solidarity’, according to former secretary general of the Department of Justice, Brian Purcell.
He sent the message after Mr Callinan finished his evidence to the Public Accounts Committee on January 23, 2014.
This was the day Mr Callinan used the word ‘disgusting’ to describe the actions of penalty points whistleblowers. Mr Purcell could not recall if he heard the ‘disgusting’ remark at the time, but he became aware of it after.
He wrote: ‘Well done, exceptional performance under fire. Brian.’ Asked about that at the Disclosures Tribunal yesterday, he said: ‘I made the comment on the basis that he had a fairly tough time.
‘It was really an expression of solidarity, well done, it’s all over and done with. Nothing more, nothing less,’ he said. The commissioner replied: ‘Thanks Brian.’
‘You can judge a man by his friends’
The following day, Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness met Mr Callinan in a hotel car park, where he alleges the commissioner told him whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe abused his own children and was not to be trusted. Mr Purcell confirmed that on that day, he sent a text to the commissioner, which read: ‘Martin, know u are en route to Dundalk, can u call me if possible, just wondering how u got on with JMcG. Brian.’
He told the tribunal he and the commissioner were concerned about matters of principle regarding the PAC hearings, including a precedent being set by complainants going public.
He said the commissioner was keen that Sgt McCabe should not appear before the PAC, and he thought Mr McGuinness might be open to the whistleblower resolving his issues with the gardaí internally. However the commissioner told him he did not think he had been successful.
Asked if Mr Callinan mentioned saying Sgt McCabe had abused his own children, Mr Purcell said: ‘Absolutely not.’ Another text from the commissioner to Mr Purcell, on March 6, 2014, read: ‘About 120 protesters outside Mullingar station. Ming Flanagan, Maura Harrington etc supporting McCabe. M.’
Mr Purcell replied: ‘You can judge a man by his friends.’
A reply from the commissioner read: ‘A shower Brian.’
Mr Purcell told the tribunal: ‘It wasn’t a swipe at Sgt McCabe. It was a swipe at the TD mentioned in the text.’ Judge Peter Charleton, chair of the tribunal, said he was sure those mentioned were decent, well-meaning people, and he did not want to go down the road of identifying individuals.
Mr Purcell also said Mr Callinan had told him ‘in a matter of fact way’ about the allegation of sexual assault against Sgt McCabe in 2006, and that the commissioner had also said the DPP had said there was no case to answer.
Appearing earlier, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said that while the rumours about sexual abuse were ‘in the air’, he was surprised when, Mr McGuinness, told him about his car park meeting.
He said that in February 2014, Mr McGuinness was thanking him for raising in the Dáil Sgt McCabe’s allegations of Garda corruption.
‘He said the commissioner had said to him that Maurice McCabe was not to be trusted and that he was a child abuser.
‘It did surprise me. I was taken aback. First of all that there was a meeting in a car park, and the nature of it,’ he said.