A FALSE ALLEGATION that Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe had sexually assaulted a child was included in a Tusla file because a caseworker failed to delete information from an old case.
That is according to RTÉ’s Prime Time, which cites a source close to the organisation.
The programme’s reporter Katie Hannon said that she has spoken to someone who has seen the document, which has yet to be released to the McCabe family.
She says the source claims the counsellor who included the allegation in their report claims that the issue was not a “copy and paste error” as had been believed. The source says the counsellor was working from a template of a previous referral.
In the process of typing up the document, the counsellor failed to delete the allegation of sexual assault.
Hannon says her source said the error would “jump off the page at you”, but was still used as a building block for subsequent complaints and files about McCabe.
Hannon also says that Health Minister Simon Harris’ account of the events does not tally with that of the girl whose allegation forms the basis of the file.
The creation and use of the file by Tusla and gardaí will be investigated by the Charleton Tribunal, whose terms of reference were released yesterday.
The tribunal is due to issue an interim report to the Justice Minister three months after it is established. Twenty days into witness testimony, Charleton will also inform the minister on its progress, its likely duration, the number of parties represented so far and any other matters that the Houses of the Oireachtas should be aware.
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