Posted by Government Whistleblower Shane Corr has describes threats as ‘abhorrent and cowardly’
Sarah
Government whistleblower Shane Corr has described online posts made about him and other prominent figures in politics and the media as “abhorrent and cowardly”.
A member of the Garda National Crime Bureau has now been suspended after apparently making a series of abusive comments online.
These included posts about Mr Corr as well as others, such as Tánaiste Simon Harris, Late Late Show presenter Patrick Kielty and journalist Joe O’Shea.
The posts on X are abusive towards these public figures and explicitly warn of violent acts against them, up to and including their deaths.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Mr Corr said: “All online threats and abusive comments are abhorrent and cowardly, but attempts to put fear into politicians and journalists are particularly egregious.”
Mr Corr was advised to report the posts to gardaí by his solicitor.
The Whistleblower reported the posts to Gardaí last Tuesday, and by Thursday they were deleted from the platform.
The Mail on Sunday first reported the matter yesterday and revealed that the member of the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau had been suspended.
In a statement, a garda spokesperson confirmed that “a member of garda staff in the Dublin region has been suspended from work”.
It added: “An Garda Síochána is currently assessing the nature of and content of online activity by an identified person, which has been brought to the attention of An Garda Síochána.”
Mr Corr said that incredibly, the person had actually referenced that he worked for the “Irish police” on the social media platform X.
“When he mentioned that he was working for the ‘Irish police’, that shocked me,” he said.
“For any civil servant, you put your career in jeopardy [by doing this], no matter in what capacity you are working for the Government.
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