Serious criminal cases have been dismissed by the courts because of a four-year backlog in analysing computers and other technology seized by gardaÃ, the Garda Inspectorate has said.
The most serious cases directly affected included prosecutions for stalking, possession of indecent images, child sex abuse and serious organised crime, said Deputy Chief Inspector with the inspectorate Mark Toland.
The issue has been highlighted in the inspectorate’s highly critical review of the management of the Garda force over decades, in which it said minimal reforms had been made to adapt to change.
