Fears for safety of GSOC officer in Hutch party probe after he was ID’d abroad

The senior GSOC investigator had told colleagues he attended a ‘welcome home’ party for Hutch after he was found not guilty of the murder of David Byrne

• Bookmark

• Share

There are further fears for the safety of the ex-GSOC officer at the centre of the Hutch party probe after his name was publicly disclosed by a foreign news outlet.

It is understood the man has left his north Dublin home, close to where Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch was living following his release from prison on Monday, April 17. This paper broke the story that the senior GSOC investigator had told colleagues he attended a ‘welcome home’ party for Hutch after he was found not guilty of the murder of David Byrne.

This bombshell led to him resigning and GSOC launching an internal probe and subsequently referring it to gardai. The Garda National Crime Bureau is investigating the man, who was arrested last week on suspicion of leaking confidential information over a period of time but released without charge.

However, now his name is known, there are further fears for his safety. Meanwhile, gardai have refused to confirm if the Commissioner has met with the DPP after the not guilty verdict in the Hutch trial.

Commissioner Harris raised concerns last week and indicated he intended to meet the DPP. He said the DPP decides on what charges to bring in a case following recommendations from gardai and that he did not want to comment on what exact recommendations they had made to the office.

“When you’re taking a case in a criminal justice forum, one can’t expect every time you’re going to get a guilty verdict, in effect that would not be a criminal justice process,” he said last week.

However, the Garda Press Office told us this week: “The Garda Press Office does not comment on any communications or meetings with the DPP.”