Former Garda confidential recipient Oliver Connolly slams Oireachtas and media
The former Garda confidential recipient has released a statement criticising members of the Oireachtas and sections of the media over the events which led to him being dismissed.
Oliver J Connolly was appointed by the Justice Minister Alan Shatter in 2011 to be the point of contact for whistleblowers within the Garda Siochána.
He was sacked last month after excerpts of alleged conversations he had had with garda whistleblowers were read into the Dáil record.
Mr Connolly says the "posturing" of politicians who revealed excerpts of taped conversations has trampled on the rights of him and his family.
He has said he will not confirm if the excerpts read into the Dáil record are accurate.
In his statement this lunchtime Mr Connolly said he has been he subject of a concerted attack by certain members of the Oireachtas as part of a "naked political attempt to embarrass a Minister for Justice they oppose".
He has also said his privacy has been breached and says some sections of the Irish media have failed to provide "fair and balanced" or "objective" reporting in their quest for salacious and attention-grabbing headlines.
The statement ends with him saying that the only solace he can find in the recent distress inflicted on himself and his family is the fact that a frank and open discussion has begun about the transparency and accountability of Irish policing.
