Former garda press officer 'bitter' about being moved from his role, tribunal told
A retired senior garda has told the Charleton tribunal that former Garda press officer Supt David Taylor was "bitter" about being moved from his role in the press office in 2014.
Retired Supt Paul Moran, who succeeded Mr Taylor in the role, told the Charleton tribunal that he met with Mr Taylor shortly after he took over the role.
"I think he was upset about being moved," Mr Moran said.
"He was somewhat bitter about being moved, that's what I sensed from him myself. He wasn't happy about being moved," Mr Moran told the tribunal.
The tribunal is looking at allegations that senior gardaí were smearing whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe to politicians, journalists and others. Mr Taylor has said in a statement that he was instructed to brief negatively against the sergeant.
Supt Taylor’s lawyer says he did not express anything explicit to Supt Moran on his thoughts on the move.
Ms Tara Burns Sc, representing Mr Taylor, said her client's instructions were that because he felt that Mr Moran was close to former garda commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan, he did not express any specific view to him in relation to the Commissioner.
Mr Moran said he deduced that Mr Taylor was unhappy with being moved from his body language and from the conversation they had.
He said that on taking over the post of garda press officer on 10 June 2014, he met with Mr Taylor and received "a comprehensive briefing" from him.
He testified that if a journalist contacted him, he would refer them to the staff in the press office and that interactions with journalists would be recorded on Spotlight, a system used by the press office.
Superintendent John Ferris, who works in garda corporate communications, and worked in the Garda press office from 2007, said he was not aware of negative briefings to journalists.
Supt Ferris said the only knowledge he had of any campaign against Sgt McCabe was as it unfolded in the newspapers.
"I had no knowledge of this alleged campaign and I had no part in it and I instructed nobody," Supt Ferris said.
Mr Taylor remained on a press list after he was transferred to the traffic section, and Supt Ferris had him removed from this list.
Supt Ferris said that Mr Taylor was removed from the list after Mr Taylor sought access to a daily press clippings file.
Supt Ferris, who was an inspector at the time, said that when Mr Taylor was first appointed to the press office, he did not seem comfortable sharing an office.
"One morning I came in and my desk was upside down on the floor in three parts," Supt Ferris said.
"I felt it was disrespectful to me as an individual, it was unprofessional," Supt Ferris said.
The tribunal also heard legal representation was sought on behalf of several newspapers and named journalists.
Representation was granted to the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, RTE, Independent News & Media, the Daily Star, the Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, the Sunday Times, and the Sunday World.
Tribunal chairman Mr Justice Peter Charleton said that it was right that the news organisations should represent journalists and back them up, and they should not be left on their own. He said the tribunal had written to several news organisations which might be affected by its work, but not all had replied.
No negativity towards Maurice McCabe, says former head of Garda Press Office
Former members of the Garda Press Office have told the Disclosures Tribunal today there was no negativity towards Maurice McCabe.
Superintendent Paul Moran replaced Dave Taylor in 2015, and said that Superintendent Taylor was bitter at having been moved from the Press Office.
The Tribunal is examining whether there was a smear campaign by senior gardaí against Sergeant McCabe.
As the Tribunal enters its final stages, it will focus on whether there was an orchestrated campaign among senior gardaí to discredit Maurice McCabe.
Retired Superintendent Paul Moran who headed up the Garda Press Office in 2015, replacing Dave Taylor, was first to speak to the Tribunal this morning.
He told the Tribunal that when he was briefed by Supt Taylor on the workings of the Press Office, no mention was made of Maurice McCabe, nor was there a particular attitude to him.
Mr Moran said that he deduced from Supt Taylor that he was bitter at having been moved on from the Press Office by Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan.
The Tribunal has previously heard that Dave Taylor told Sergeant McCabe there was a campaign to attack him, on the authority of former Cmsr Martin Callinan, and in the knowledge of his successor Noirin O’Sullivan.
Both former Commissioners deny this.
The Second witness, Superintendent John Ferris of Garda Communications has also denied any knowledge of negative briefings to journalists about Maurice McCabe.
