1st February 2022
A retired garda sergeant has told the Disclosures Tribunal that he was "scapegoated" after raising systems failures that allegedly led to the murder of Baiba Saulite.
The tribunal today began a new module to investigate claims made by William Hughes that he was discredited by senior gardaí after raising concerns about how investigations related to Ms Saulite (28) were handled prior to her death.
The mother-of-two was shot dead outside her Swords home in November 2006, and no one has ever been charged with the murder.
Mr Hughes claims he was subjected to a horrendous cycle of intimidation and bullying after making a protected disclosure, with all claims denied by An Garda Síochána.
This afternoon the retired sergeant said that gardaí failed to pool different investigations together connected to Ms Saulite in the lead-up to her murder.
This included the abduction of her children by her husband in 2004, an arson attack on her solicitor John Hennessey, and a credible threat to the life of Mr Hennessey.
He also claims that information relating to the criminal connections of Ms Saulite's husband, who can only be named as Mr A, were not disseminated to relevant gardaí.
Mr Hughes said that there should have been a central incident room to deal with these and that, because this wasn't done, the garda response "probably wasn't appropriate".
He told Diarmaid McGuinness SC, for the tribunal, that he was upset and shocked about the murder and at the time was asking were there "ways we could have prevented this".
The witness also said he felt he was "being cold-shouldered" by senior gardaí investigating the murder and that his presence "wasn't required" at case conferences.
The tribunal earlier heard that Ms Saulite's husband pleaded guilty to abducting their children in 2006 and that she prepared a 12-page victim impact statement, in which she expressed concerns for her safety from him.
This was handed to William Hughes five days before her murder, and he was later the subject of a disciplinary investigation to determine whether he had information of a real and immediate threat to her life.
Mr Hughes was later cleared of any wrongdoing and claims the investigation was protracted and an abuse of process.
He also says this investigation was carried out to "shut me up" and "clip my wings" after he began raising concerns about investigations before and after he murder.
The disclosures tribunal is investigating ten key issues, including whether Mr Hughes was discredited by senior gardaí for making a protected disclosure in 2008. It will establish if concerns previously raised with a superior in April 2007 fall under the protected disclosure legislation, or not.
It will also consider if senior gardaí failed to properly investigate his complaints, failed to refer his first complaint to the Garda watchdog, or discredited him by recommending he be medically discharged.
He had taken separate leaves of absence due to work related stress between 2006 and 2009.
In June 2008 it was recommended that he medically retire on grounds of ill-health, which was opposed by Mr Hughes.
He returned to 'light duties' but reported unfit for duty in January 2011 and retired two years later.
It will also consider whether the retired sergeant was discredited by senior gardaí for a failure to investigate a newspaper report in November 2008 titled "Cop never looked at tragic Baiba's warning" and which made references to "garda sources".
The tribunal continues before Mr Justice Sean Ryan, chair, tomorrow morning.