Former Garda detective sergeant seeks to challenge her dismissal

A former detective sergeant who was dismissed from An Garda Síochána last October is seeking to bring a High Court challenge to her dismissal.

Evelyn Doherty, who was sacked after serving for 28 years, worked in the crime and security section of An Garda Síochána. In 2017, the detective was found guilty by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of harassing a State solicitor by sending abusive letters between September 2011 and March 2013. She was acquitted by the jury of two counts of making false statements. Ms Doherty had denied all charges.

She was sentenced to three years imprisonment but the balance of her sentence was last year suspended by the Court of Appeal.

Ms Doherty (52), of Sandyford, Dublin, who has a case before the Supreme Court, now wants her dismissal overturned.

In an affidavit grounding her application before the High Court, she said she was seeking judicial review of the Garda Commissioner’s decision and claimed her rights have been breached. Ms Doherty was suspended with pay in October 2013 and claims that, in August 2018, her wages were stopped. She claims that, from August 2018 to October 2019, she was suspended without pay without a justified explanation to her or her solicitor.

Ms Doherty in her affidavit said documentation from the Garda Commissioner in October last year stated she had not replied to his letter requesting a submission as to why he should not sack her.

She claims she posted a submission to the Garda Commissioner in July 2019 and that her submission was sent again by email to the commissioner but she was dismissed two days later on October 16th, 2019.

In the High Court on Monday, Ms Doherty told the court she also wanted property returned to her including laptops which she said had been seized by gardaí­ seven years ago. She said she also wanted reinstatement until her case before the Supreme Court is finalised. Mr Justice Charles Meenan directed Ms Doherty to put the Garda Commissioner on notice of the application. The case will come back before the court at a later date.