Widow of tragic garda sergeant takes legal action against Gsoc, Garda Commissioner, Justice Minister and Attorney General

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The widow of a garda sergeant who took his own life in the midst of a Gsoc probe has taken legal action against the garda watchdog, and the case is due to proceed to a full High Court hearing.

Court records show that Collete Galvin, the widow of Michael Galvin, has launched legal proceedings against Gsoc, the Garda Commissioner, Justice Minister and Attorney General.

The case was last mentioned before the High Court on January 12, according to records, and is now awaiting a date for full hearing.

Sgt Galvin (48) took his own life at Ballyshannon garda station in 2015.

Former Chief Justice Frank Clarke was asked by the Government to inquire into the case. He was charged with looking at the conduct of members of Gsoc who carried out a criminal investigation into three garda members in Co Donegal in 2015.

The three were investigated over their interactions with a woman, Sheena Stewart (33), who was killed minutes after they spoke with her in the early hours of January 1, 2015.

Sgt Galvin and two colleagues spoke to Ms Stewart in Ballyshannon after reports from the public that she had been sitting in the road.

They said when they left her to answer a report of another unrelated traffic incident, she was on the pavement.

However, minutes later she was hit by a car while again sitting in the road.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) said at the time that father-of-three Sgt Galvin was known for his professionalism and obliging nature. It said his family had gone through great distress over his death.

The AGSI pointed out that it must always be remembered that Sgt Galvin “was not involved in any wrongdoing”.

​Sgt Galvin became depressed as the Gsoc inquiry into him and his colleagues continued. On May 28, 2015, five months into the probe, he took his own life.

It soon emerged that the week before, senior Gsoc investigators had decided he had no case to answer. This led to anger locally and within the ranks of the force, with many asking why he was not immediately informed once the watchdog had taken that decision.

Mr Justice Clarke said it was clear the final stages of the inquiry had gone in Sgt Galvin’s favour. However, he said the impression had been given in public debate that Gsoc was ready to inform him he had been cleared, only for a delay to have happened.

It was suggested at the time that had Gsoc moved more quickly, Sgt Galvin would never have killed himself.

However, in his final report, Mr Justice Clarke set out the timeline of key events, and that timeline disproves that narrative.

Within Gsoc, the decision not to prosecute Sgt Galvin was made on May 22, 2015. That was just one day after he was interviewed by the ombudsman’s investigators.

At the time of his death, that recommendation still had to go to the Gsoc commissioners and the DPP for consideration and a final decision.

“There was, unfortunately, no reality to there having been any prospect of Sgt Galvin being informed that no prosecution was to progress for at least five or six weeks thereafter,” Mr Justice Clarke said. “Tragically, as we know, Sgt Galvin took his own life one week later.”

Mr Justice Clarke said that while Sgt Galvin was indeed set to be cleared, the process was not as advanced at the time of his suicide as has been suggested.