Garda watchdog admits 'delays' in probe into ex-garda Paul Moody who went on to abuse another partner

A woman reported coercive control and harassment by former garda Paul Moody between 2016 and 2017. After a later similar campaign against another partner, she told a sentencing hearing that the Garda watchdog created a “wall of silence” and discontinued the investigation more than five years later without interviewing him. The court heard that she received no updates until October 2020, when she was told Moody had been invited for interview in the previous July but did not attend due to work-related stress leave. The watchdog accepted that the investigation faced delays and was discontinued in March 2023. It initiated an internal review, identifying a need for a dedicated specialist unit for domestic abuse, gender and sexual violence, and offences against children, and stated that investigatory skills and procedures are continuously reviewed.

"The victim told Moody's sentencing hearing yesterday that she was met with a "wall of silence" by the garda watchdog who discontinued the investigation over five years later without having even interviewed him."

""It is accepted that the investigation faced delays and it was discontinued in March 2023. "In order to gain learnings from how Gsoc conducted its investigation and engaged with the victim, Gsoc took the proactive step of initiating an internal review of its investigation into the complaint.""

"It said the review "identified a requirement to establish a dedicated specialist unit to deal with allegations of domestic abuse, gender and sexual violence and offences against children". It said that it's "investigatory skills and procedures are kept under constant review and it is committed to continuous learning"."

"The woman said that she didn't receive any updates from the watchdog until October 2020 when Gsoc told her Moody had been invited for interview the previous July but did not attend as he was on work-related stress leave."

Read at Irish Independent