LINES OF ENQUIRY | 

Face of man (33) who traded cocaine for information from garda Pulse system

The court heard how Webb —who is now banged up in Mountjoy Prison after he was handed a two-year jail term — entered into an illicit ‘coke for info’ relationship with former civilian garda employee Holly Hayden.

Today at 20:27

These are the first pictures of the 33-year-old who was jailed for corruption after he admitted exchanging cocaine for information taken directly from the Garda Pulse system.

Our exclusive images show Daniel Webb, who attended court wearing a pair of €695 Balenciaga designer trainers, standing outside the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin ahead of his sentencing hearing.

The court heard how Webb —who is now banged up in Mountjoy Prison after he was handed a two-year jail term — entered into an illicit ‘coke for info’ relationship with former civilian garda employee Holly Hayden.

Webb (33), of Charlesland, Greystones, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty to two counts of active and passive corruption at unknown locations on September 6 and 9, 2019.

At a previous hearing, Detective Sergeant James King recalled how, in January 2020, gardai received confidential information that a civilian employee of An Garda Síochána, Holly Hayden (27), who was working at the Dún Laoghaire District Office, was relaying confidential information from the Garda Pulse system to third parties outside the station.

An investigation took place and her work area and home were searched. A mobile phone was seized during the search and a forensic download was carried out.

Messages from Hayden to Webb were found on both the WhatsApp and Telegram apps.

The court heard that Webb was then identified and messages showed Hayden sent him a document containing information from the Pulse system about another individual on September 6, 2019.

On September 9, 2019, she provided a synopsis of information from the Pulse system, which she had been instructed to download via the messaging app Telegram.

She received cocaine in exchange for providing information on both of these occasions.

The court heard that in total 17 lines of intelligence were sent, which related to Webb and people associated with him.

Screenshots of the Pulse system were also sent to Webb.

The court heard that Hayden also sent information to another third party and gave details about the location of garda checkpoints.

Judge Orla Crowe asked if copies of the information taken from the Pulse system were available, and these were handed into the court.

Det Sgt King said a search warrant was issued for Webb’s home and car.

Webb arrived home during the search and cooperated fully with gardaí. His mobile phone was also seized.

James Dwyer SC, defending, said his client met Hayden in his local pub after she approached him.

They first began to communicate on WhatsApp in May 2019.

He said Hayden sent information to his client about him and his associates and sent details to a third party relating to garda movement and checkpoints.

Det Sgt King agreed with counsel that messages from his client’s phone show that at one point he encouraged Hayden not to look up more information.

Mr Dwyer handed in character references for his client from his GP, a member of the Bar of Ireland, neighbours, a woman for whom his mother worked, and family members.

His parents were also in court to support him.

The letter from his parents described Webb as “warm, generous and loving” and said he is “adored by his siblings”.

Counsel said seven urine analyses had also returned clean.

He said a probation report is available, indicating when this offence occurred Webb was at the peak of his drug use, spending up to €200 a night on cocaine and Xanax.

The reports put him at a low risk of re-offending and noted he is in stable employment.

He said this was a crime of the “utmost seriousness where the Pulse system has been compromised” but asked the court to consider the clean urine reports, the lack of previous convictions, and his early guilty plea when sentencing.

The court heard Webb has no previous convictions.

Passing sentence, Judge Orla Crowe said the offending involved “interfering with an intelligence resource of An Garda Síochána”.

Judge Crowe sentenced him to two years in prison on each count to run concurrently, with the final 12 months suspended for two years.

The judge had previously adjourned the case facing Webb’s co-accused Holly Hayden until November 6 for finalisation.

Hayden (27) of Bayview Terrace, Bray, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty to one count of disclosing confidential information from the Pulse system obtained in the course of her employment on October 29, 2019.

She further pleaded to two counts of accessing confidential information from the Pulse system for the purpose of corruptly obtaining a gift, consideration or advantage for herself at Dun Laoghaire Garda Station on September 9, 2019, and on dates between April 28, 2020 and May 11, 2020.