A retired Garda sergeant has said he believes the 2006 murder of Latvian woman Baiba Saulite could have been prevented.
Sgt William Hughes was giving evidence at the first day of public hearings at the Disclosures Tribunal into claims that he was targeted by senior Garda management after he made complaints about how the force dealt with Ms Saulite (28).
The claims are being opposed by Garda management.
The mother of two young boys was shot at her home in Swords, Co Dublin, on November 19th, 2006, while her children slept in the house. No-one has ever been convicted of the murder.
“I felt things had gone extremely wrong in terms of the Garda response,” Sgt Hughes said. “I still believe we could have prevented this.”
The terms of reference of the tribunal empower it to investigate claims that members of An Garda Síochána were targeted with the knowlege of senior management, after having made whistleblower reports. It does not investigate the claims made in whistleblower reports.
The tribunal, which last sat in July 2020, has now begun public hearings into a targeting complaint by Sgt Hughes.
In an opening statement, tribunal counsel Sinead McGrath BL told the chairman, Mr Justice Sean Ryan, that during the two years prior to her death, Ms Saulite had been in contact with gardaí in relation to the abduction of her children, who were eventually returned.
During this time she was represented by solicitor John Hennessy, who also acted for her in related family law proceedings.
Gardaí were also investigating an arson attempt on Mr Hennessy’s home, an arson attempt on Ms Saulite’s car, and intelligence that there was a threat on Mr Hennessy’s life.
The intelligence included the name of the “assassin” it was believed was to be used in the killing of the solicitor, the tribunal heard.
Mr Justice Ryan has issued an order stating that the media should not identify persons who might have been arrested in relation to, or thought to have knowledge about, the killing of Ms Saulite and other related crimes, and whose identities are being redacted in tribunal documents.
Ms McGrath said that in November 2006 “the accused” (who is not being identified) had entered a guilty plea in relation to the abduction of Ms Saulite’s children.
The tribunal heard that Ms Saulite had travelled to Lebanon to collect them after the man, Mr A, was told he would not be released on bail if the children were not returned to their mother.
Ms Saulite met Sgt William Hughes and Garda Declan Nylan in Swords station on November 14th, 2006, after Mr A had pleaded guilty to the abduction.
She handed Sgt Hughes a 12-page handwritten proposed victim impact report for an upcoming sentencing hearing, the tribunal heard.
The document outlined a history of abuse perpetrated against Ms Saulite and included near the end a contention that “I am very scared for my life, because [MR A]is blaming me for everything that has gone wrong in his life”.
In 2008, Sgt Hughes made serious allegations in respect of the investigation into the murder of Ms Saulite, and the ancilliary investigations prior to her death, Ms McGrath said.
In a complaint to the Confidential Recipient, Sgt Hughes outlined a number of allegations, including that information concerning the criminal connections of Ms Saulite’s husband was in the possession of An Garda Síochána prior to her murder “but was not disseminated to relevant Garda personnel including gardaí who had been dealing with the abduction case” involving Ms Saulite’s children.
The claims were investigated by Assistant Commissioner Michael Feehan. In a report in April 2010, it was found that "all the various allegations in relation to the confidential report are without foundation."
Sgt Hughes has claimed that a series of matters were attempts to target him, including how he was treated for the purposes of sick pay. The sergeant’s GP diagnosed him as having work-related stress in the wake of the Saulite murder. He retired from the force on medical grounds in February 2013.
The tribunal heard that in February 2006, Mr A was jailed for four years for vehicle theft.
