Fall-out over domestic abuse case as Mayo TD issues appeal to Minister for Justice
Fiosrú (the Office of the Police Ombudsman) is conducting a root and branch investigation into the matter
AN urgent appeal has been issued to Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan to meet 'courageous' Mayo woman Margaret Loftus to discuss 'the many wider implications' of the domestic abuse case she took against garda officer Trevor Bolger who was her husband at the time of the offence.
Bolger (48) received a three-month suspended jail sentence at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court when he pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms. Loftus, herself a member of An Garda Síochána, at her parents home in Balla on October 25, 2012.
Now Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh said critical issues raised by Ms. Loftus after the sentencing need to be addressed 'to ensure that no other woman who is a victim of abuse from a member of An Garda Síochána is forced to go through this torturous journey' over a period of 13 years.
The fall-out from the case has led to a nationwide debate, with Ms. Loftus stating her experience of the criminal justice system 'has been every bit as damaging as the abuse itself'.
Raising her concerns in Dáil Éireann, Deputy Conway-Walsh said it is very clear that An Garda Síochána, or some members of An Garda Síochána, were siding with Margaret's ex-husband.
"Fiosrú (the Office of the Police Ombudsman) is conducting a root and branch investigation into the case.
“Her transfer was revoked so to remain with her family in Mayo, Margaret was advised to go on sick leave.
“While on sick leave, her pay was stopped on multiple occasions for spurious reasons.
“A disciplinary fine was attached to her file and taken from her wages, unknowingly to her, and was returned after she questioned it and followed it up, asking numerous times what it referred to.
“Margaret requested the gardaí investigate her husband, his violence and his ongoing threats to kill her. Margaret could see on the Garda PULSE system that Trevor Bolger had checked her more than 20 times.
“Every time an incident occurred, he could see if she reported it or not. Margaret prepared her own investigation file and sent her statement directly to the office of the Garda Commissioner.
“While the investigation was under way - that is, while Trevor Bolger was under investigation for domestic violence and a threat to kill - he was promoted to detective, with glowing references from his sergeant and superintendent. He was given a gun.
“Meanwhile, Trevor Bolger repeatedly looked Margaret up on the PULSE system and sent gardaí to her home in Mayo to carry out welfare checks on her children.
"Justin Kelly, who is now the Commissioner, was the first person to take her seriously. This gives me some hope.
“Margaret was emphatic in her statement that her journey through the family law courts was torturous. I believe her.
"The fact that vital evidence that was given in the family law courts but was not allowed to be transferred over to be used in the criminal court is, I believe, a miscarriage of justice in its own right.
"A proper investigation was at last conducted and a file was sent to the DPP. The criminal Circuit Court granted Trevor Bolger full State legal aid throughout the whole court process.
"There was no means test or evaluation of assets carried out. He was suspended from An Garda Síochána with full pay.
"The criminal Circuit Court also accepted an application from Trevor Bolger to get a media gagging order on the court proceedings with full consent from the State. Margaret did not consent to this order and there was no legal basis for this order being made.
"Eventually, the legal firm for the media got this application lifted so it could be reported on. Margaret was questioned twice by An Garda Síochána on articles that appeared in the media. Conor Lally, a journalist with The Irish Times, was also questioned.
"Margaret made contact with at least eight politicians over the years seeking help. Three of those were Ministers for Justice at the time she made contact.
"One of those sent back an email to say he could not be of any assistance but was deeply troubled by what she had told him. Still, nothing was done.
"The DPP took a plea deal. Before this plea deal, there was a disposition heard in court. Margaret was not happy with the way the State presented the case, so did some investigating herself.
"She realised the senior counsel assigned to the case by the State knew Trevor Bolger well and had worked with him on high profile drug cases previously. As Margaret queried this, the senior counsel removed herself from the case with no explanation given.
"Margaret's victim impact statement was censored by the defence and Trevor Bolger. She had to take out parts of it he was not happy with when the report was read out. Details of this case were reported by the media in 2019 and 2020.
"The case was before the Circuit Court 55 times before this plea was entered. During these 55 times, Trevor Bolger was granted disclosure order after disclosure order to gain access to every inch of Margaret's life.
"He was facilitated to drag her through the courts a total of 58 times in all. Margaret has now left An Garda Síochána.
"Fiosrú is conducting a root and branch investigation into the case, attitudes to domestic violence and treatment of women on the force while Trevor was given a gun."