DUBLIN, Ireland: A grieving Garda sergeant told the High Court that after her son died and she applied for a new position, she was taunted by a senior officer who asked her whether she expected to get the job out of sympathy for her bereavement.
Sergeant Laura Gaffey from Kildare went to the High Court and was allowed to challenge how An Garda Síochána handled her complaints. The court gave her permission to continue her case.
In her statement, Gaffey said she has 18 years of experience and is highly qualified. She said her problems began in 2018 after she returned from maternity leave, when a senior officer started behaving in a bullying way. She claimed he criticized her for taking maternity leave and made the offensive comment about her son's death, which caused her stress and upset.
She also said that when she made a complaint, her personal and sensitive information was wrongly shared, which she believes was a data breach.
Gaffey said she experienced ongoing bullying, harassment, and poor workplace behavior. After taking maternity leave again in 2020, she returned to find she had been assigned a new role, but work had already been done in her name without her knowledge. She said she was not properly supported in the role and was not given basic tools such as a phone or computer.
In 2024, she filed another complaint against a different senior officer, alleging he acted in a hostile and intimidating manner. Although this officer was cleared after an internal investigation, Gaffey said the process again involved sharing very private information about her, including details about her mental health, work issues, and her son's death.
In 2025, a Garda decision found no bullying or harassment, but Gaffey said the data breach issue was not properly addressed. She appealed the decision, saying the handling of her complaint was inadequate.
She also said she never received a decision on her appeal, even after deadlines were extended. She argued that this delay was unfair and went against proper procedures and her rights.
Judge Garrett Simons allowed her to seek a judicial review and postponed the case until June.
