Police whistleblower suing Ireland over sex abuse claims

DUBLIN – A whistleblower on corruption within Ireland’s national police force is suing the Irish government after learning that state authorities falsely smeared him as a child abuser.

Sgt. Maurice McCabe’s lawyers announced the lawsuit Friday after discovering through a Freedom of Information Act request that Ireland’s Child and Family Agency passed an unsubstantiated sex abuse report on McCabe to police superiors in 2013 — at a time when government and police figures were publicly questioning McCabe’s credibility.

The agency issued an apology Friday. Earlier it blamed clerical error for the false report.

McCabe has sought to expose malpractice in police ranks, particularly the alleged erasing of traffic offences from drivers’ records. An independent investigation into McCabe’s accusations triggered the 2014 resignations of the police commander and justice minister.

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