A GARDA Superintendent has described a suicide note left by a colleague as “cryptic” in which he admitted making “a major error” over a high-profile murder probe.
Superintendent Brian Daly told an inquest into the death of Detective Superintendent Colm Fox that “he still had no clue what it is about”.
Det Supt Fox, 56, was overseeing the investigation into the gangland killing of David Byrne in Dublin in February 2016.
He was found dead in his office at Ballymun garda station on the evening of February 10, 2018.
The deceased was in charge of the Garda investigation into the Byrne murder and its related trial which was taking place at the time of his death.
Patrick Hutch was charged with the murder in a daring attack during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel by members of the rival Hutch gang.
The trial at the Special Criminal Court subsequently collapsed due to the death of Det Supt Fox.
In the letter, whose contents were heard for the first time by Det Supt Fox’s family, he said there had been an “act of omission” on his part in February 2016 by not following up about the recognition of Mr Hutch as a suspect.
Det Supt Fox continued: “I have made a major error for which I will not blame anyone else. I have been under serious stress for the past week which has led to today’s event for which I am truly sorry.”
He added: “My mistake may not be seen by some as a mistake and I could not live with that.”
“I cannot change things now and as the SIO (senior investigating officer) I take full responsibility.”
Det Supt Fox observed that it might affect the outcome of the trial and for that he apologised particularly to the Byrne family.
In evidence, Supt Daly described how “nothing prepared me for the sight I witnessed” when he was alerted to his colleague’s death.
Supt Daly said he was in deep shock as he read the contents of the note which had been left in a sealed envelope addressed to him marked “urgent” on a desk in the deceased’s office.
‘PERFECTIONST’
He told the coroner, Myra Cullinane, that he had reread the letter in May 2018 and still could not understand its content.
He described Det Supt Fox as “a perfectionist and excellent colleague”, as well as a workaholic.
The inquest was adjourned and will resume tomorrow morning.
