Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-21
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Holly Cairns (SD), Cork South-West

The handling by An Garda Síochána of a domestic violence complaint against Garda Trevor Bolger is hugely concerning. When his ex-wife, Margaret Loftus, first disclosed Bolger's attack on her, she said it seemed impossible to get anyone to take it seriously. She even had to watch as Bolger was promoted to detective and issued with a firearm after she had raised the issue. Ms Loftus had to compile her own case file before an investigation started. Bolger was eventually charged in 2019 and on Friday pleaded guilty to assault. However, it has now been revealed that a Garda investigation was launched when the media first reported the details of the case in 2020. The security and crime editor of The Irish Times , Conor Lally, was interviewed as part of this inquiry. Having dragged their heels in investigating Bolger, no such reticence was shown by gardaí in investigating journalists. This is despite the fact the case had been mentioned in open court and the media were fully entitled to cover it. Is the Minister concerned about the case? Has he asked the Garda Commissioner why an investigation was launched into the media? Is he satisfied that domestic violence complaints made against gardaí are treated appropriately?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-31T01:00:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-21