#DisclosuresTribunal The tribunal is hearing from two witnesses today: Elaine Strachan and Mark McConnell, of Forensic Science Northern Ireland. Ms Strachan has started to give evidence.
#DisclosuresTribunal [NOTE: In terms of phones - Noirin O'Sullivan was able to give 1 out of 6 phones for the relevant time period (when Supt Taylor was in Garda Press Office),Martin Callinan was able to give 2 out of 6 and Supt Taylor was able to give 0 out of 3]
#DisclosuresTribunal [NOTE: In terms of computers, NOS logged onto 3 PCs, received 5 laptops and 2 iPads. None of the laptops have been surrendered to tribunal and one of the iPads was surrendered (the other was damaged)]
#DisclosuresTribunal [NOTE: In terms of computers, Callinan logged onto one PC, he had 6 laptops and one iPad. Two laptops are accounted for, iPad is damaged] In relation to Supt Taylor, he would have used one laptop - given to tribunal.]
#DisclosuresTribunal hears of contacts retrieved from one of Martin Callinan's two phones surrendered to tribunal which are relevant to the tribunal. They include Noel Cunningham, Diarmuid O'Sullivan, Leo McGuinn, J MCann, Paul Reynolds, Brian Purcell, Jim Sheridan and Tom Brady
#DisclosuresTribunal Ms Strachan says there was nothing retrieved on this phone to support the claim that Supt Taylor was instructed by Callinan to carry out a smear campaign against Sgt McCabe
#DisclosuresTribunal IN relation to phone belong to Supt Taylor (which was seized in December 2014 and issued Sept 2014) Ms Strachan said there was also no evidence to indicate any smear campaign on this phone.
#DisclosuresTribunal hears of Taylor's second seized phone (in Feb 2015), tribunal hears of contacts Supt Taylor had with potentially relevant witnesses to the tribunal: Alison O'Reilly, Cathal McMahon, Conor Lally, Cormac O'Keefe, Debbie McCann, Eavan Murray, Fionnana Sheahan...
#DisclosuresTribunal (cntd).. John Mooney, John O'Reilly, John Burke, Juno McEnroe, Mark Hilliard, Michael O'Toole, Mick Clifford, Mick McCaffrey, Paul Reynolds, Paul Williams, Philip Boucher Hayes, Sarah Bardon.
#DisclosuresTribunal hears one of the 2 phones surrendered to the tribunal Martin Callinan (which had been previously reallocated to Supt Howard)... no information was retrieved from that phone pertaining to Martin Callinan.
#DisclosuresTribunal hears in relation to the (working) iPad NOS surrendered to the tribunal, there was no evidence recovered to support Supt Taylor's claim of smear campaign
#DisclosuresTribunal also hears in relation to 1 phone (an iPhone) NOS surrendered to the tribunal (which it's already heard was given as a hand-me-down phone to her son) - there's no evidence to support Supt Taylor's claim. Ms Strachan says all info on phone pertained to her son
#DisclosuresTribunal Tribunal previously heard NOS offered 2 Samsungs she used in 2016 and 2017 to trib. Re: 1 Samsung (used April-July 2017), tribunal hears list of contacts potentially relevant to the tribunal: Debbie McCann, Dave Taylor, John McCann, John Mooney and a Paul R.
#DisclosuresTribunal Ms Strachan says nothing on this phone was found to support Supt Taylor's claim of a smear campaign
#DisclosuresTribunal Ms Strachan says nothing was found on the 2nd Samsung phone (used from May to Oct 2016) to support claim of smear campaign
#DisclosuresTribunal Judge Charleton asks Ms Strachan asks how much time/many hours (collectively) has FSNI worked on matters for the tribunal. Ms Strachan can't put a figure on it but says they've been working close to a year. Judge praises the work of FSNI as "outstanding"
#DisclosuresTribunal Mark O'Connell, of FSNI, now giving evidence. He examined Supt Taylor's laptop to search for any material to show there was a smear campaign. Keywords searched included 'rat, Oisin, whistle bower, child, child abuse, kiddie fidder, negative publicity..'
#DisclosuresTribunal [ctnd] 'reputation and RTE...' (there were other keywords also). Tribunal hears following search there were 149,339 hits and none displayed an instruction or any information to suggest there was an instruction given to smear Sgt Maurice McCabe
#DisclosuresTribunal has already heard Martin Callinan bought the laptop he was using at time of retirement when he retired. Mark O'Connell, of FSNI, tells tribunal this laptop was "sanitised and reinstalled in accordance with Garda IT protocol"
#DisclosuresTribunal Tribunal hears that in his report to the tribunal, MOC wrote "any data from when Martin Callinan was in post as Commissioner is no longer available and non-recoverable"
#DisclosuresTribunal [Earlier, Tara Burns BL, for Supt Taylor, read out a text sent from Supt Taylor to Martin Callinan on 28/3/2014 in which he told him he felt so sorry for the way he was being treated. He said it was "despicable"]
#DisclosuresTribunal Mark O'Connell, of FSNI, now talking of other searches in other Garda databases. He searched the AGS Portal - which is a web portal used to view Garda information and it's available to all AGS members. There were 25 search hits but nothing relevant found
#DisclosuresTribunal O'Connell also searched emails. He found 71 search hits on Callinan's email, 480 search hits on NOS email and 692 search hits on Taylor's email. But nothing of significance found.
#DisclosuresTribunal Leader BL, for tribunal, going through the other searches Mark O'Connell carried out on other Garda systems. Most, tribunal is told, are not relevant as MC, NOS, Taylor either didn't have access to a particular system or it wasn't in place at relevant time
#DisclosuresTribunal hears a search of the Correspondence Register - which traces correspondence sent by each dept in Garda HQ and keeps track of corr coming in an out of office - there were 12 search hits for Maurice McCabe and one related to Sgt McCabe.
#DisclosuresTribunal hears when Mr O'Connell looked for an electronic file on that, there was none to be found and he concluded it is most likely in paper form.
#DisclosuresTribunal hears of search of RECORD system (which succeeded to Corr Reigster but not confined to Garda HQ). It returned 6 search hits in total - two of which were of potential interest to the tribunal but didn't involve instruction to inform the press negatively
#DisclosuresTribunal The two of potential interest were 1) the Tusla notification (false rape referral) of May 2014 and 2) an FCPN complaint.
#DisclosuresTribunal Mark O'Connell now speaking about his search of the File Share system in An Garda Siochana. Tribunal previously heard AGS had a massive computer refurb in 2014 with around 7,500 computers replaced. Everyone was encouraged to back up material to the File Share
#DisclosuresTribunal In relation to their own File Share systems, tribunal hears NOS didn't use hers, nothing relevant was found on Martin Callinan's and, for Supt Taylor, only information outside the timeframe of interest was found
#DisclosuresTribunal In relation to Commissioner's Office Group File Share system, series of docs/reports were found re: Sgt McCabe. One (Sept 2011) related to meeting McCabe had with Assistant Commissioner Derek Byrne; Another (Dec 2011) related to issues of policing in Cav/Mon
#DisclosuresTribunal There was another Chronological Sequence Report (June 12, 2013) which Leader BL, for tribunal, says contains a reference to the Ms D issue. [NOTE, Ms D went to counselling in August 2013 when the false rape referral was mistakenly created and sent to TUSLA]
#DisclosuresTribunal After Mark O'Connell finishes being taken through his evidence by Ms Leader BL, Judge Peter Charleton announces that all the information pertaining to Ms Strachan and Mr O'Connell's examinations are in evidence, not just the items read out in the tribunal
#DisclosuresTribunal Judge Charleton also notes three things with Mark O'Connell - Taylor's phone of 2013 was not available; he asked if AGS cooperated fully with him [O'Connell said yes] and then Judge Charleton thanked him and said it was a comfort to know he was so thorough
#DisclosuresTribunal Today's hearing has ended. Diarmuid McGuinness SC, for tribunal, says tmw's witnesses are ex-Chief Supt Peter Kirwan and Det Supt Brian Brunton. CS Kirwin carried out disciplinary investigation into Supt Taylor. Trib prev heard this was dropped in Feb 2018
