Keith Harrison, a Garda based in Donegal, has taken his continuous job suspension to the High Court citing wrongful allegations regarding an inappropriate relationship with a woman who was once his partner. Harrison disclosed that he was suspended from duty in 2021 and is presently under an internal disciplinary analysis concerning his relationship with said woman – a relationship that he maintains was mutually agreed upon.
Harrison, having diverged from his relationship with the woman, wholly refutes any allegations of malpractice. It’s been reported that the woman, in 2019, confessed to being a crime victim and Harrison is accused of initiating a romantic relationship with her thereafter. Allegedly, his actions breached Garda discipline as they were distressing and resistant to his professional diligence of care, specifically towards victims of crimes.
Furthermore, he’s accused of accepting money from the woman as a loan. He, however, justifies his actions stating that their relationship was “a fully consensual” one; the two share a child and the woman expressed to the Garda that she didn’t aim for a criminal case to be instigated against him. His first suspension occurred in March 2021 and over the past three years, his employer has extended his suspension on multiple occasions.
Harrison expresses that he initially discovered from the media about the allegations of criminal activities that he says instigated the suspension, as well as a discipline breach. He suggests that the information leaked to the press was a deliberate and illegal act performed by Garda members.
In 2022, he asserts that the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) established that he didn’t need to face prosecution for any alleged criminal activities. He also suggested that there would be no prosecution brought about against him for the alleged leak.
Regarding the ongoing disciplinary issues, Harrison disclosed that an investigating officer and an inquiry panel were established in the previous year. He’s challenging the Garda Commissioner in the High Court stating the unfair and flawed nature of the procedure of the investigation. Harrison further laments that he is being disciplined for a consensual relationship with the woman and considers his ongoing suspension as process abuse.
Concerns about the manner in which evidence was presented and material relevant to the investigation was disclosed have been raised by his legal team. He argues that his suspension is grossly unjust and that he has not been given a comprehensive understanding of the reasons for the action taken. He expresses such delay in progressing the case to be inappropriate and alleges that he is being subjected to bias.
Stationed at the Milford Garda station, Mr Harrison has filed for judicial review to the High Court in a bid to overturn and lift his suspension. Represented by Mark Harty SC, he also aims to nullify the decision by the Garda Commissioner to appoint an officer to scrutinize the alleged disciplinary breaches and to prevent the inquiry board from making any further progress.
In the event that these objectives are not met, he requests a halt in the disciplinary process until he receives all relevant material related to the purported disciplinary breach. The High Court granted him permission to bring his legal battle against his ongoing suspension on an ex parte basis.
Mr Harrison had previously appeared before the Disclosures Tribunal as one of several members to have their claims investigated. Allegations made by him and his then-partner in 2017 and 2018 were dismissed by the tribunal chairman, current Supreme Court Judge Mr Justice Peter Charleton. His allegations included a charge that Gardaí coerced a woman, a different one from the one in the current legal action, to make a statement against him leading to a Tusla referral.
Furthermore, he claimed to be the target of a five-year harassment campaign following the arrest of another officer for drunk driving in 2009. The case will return to court next month.