Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will do so. This appears to have been believed initially and one could be forgiven for thinking that this formed the basis of the Commissioner's instructions, but we do not know that. Questions need to be asked. What disciplinary proceedings have happened concerning these two gardaí? If such proceedings have not been progressed, why not? What is happening there?

One has to ask why they did this. What prompted two colleagues to do that to another colleague? Why on earth would they do that? Were they asked to do it? Was there some underlying resentment there? Was there an issue between those two gardaí and Sergeant McCabe of which perhaps their superiors should have been aware? We do not know, but these questions need to be answered.

We must reflect on the situation that Sergeant McCabe could have been in had he not recorded that phone call. We should consider the commission's remarks on Sergeant McCabe. He impressed the commission as being never less than truthful in his evidence. The report stated that, "Some people, wrongly and unfairly, cast aspersions on Sergeant McCabe's motives" and that "Sergeant McCabe acted out of genuine and legitimate concerns". Would the report read like that today had he not recorded that phone call? We will never know.

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