Minister Humphreys said that what happened to Dara Quigley was “absolutely unacceptable”.
Ireland’s serving Minister for Justice Heather Humphreys has issued an apology to the family of Irish journalist and activist Dara Quigley.
In April 2017, a member of the Garda Síochána recorded CCTV footage of Ms Quigley walking naked and in a distressed state. The officer then shared the image in a WhatsApp group, and it soon began to circulate online.
Ms Quigley died by suicide on 12 April 2017.
Dara’s mother Aileen shared two years ago that her daughter was aware these images had been uploaded without her consent.
Now, Minister Humphreys has said that what happened to Dara was “absolutely unacceptable”.
The Fine Gael TD also extended her sympathies to Dara’s family on Today with Claire Byrne.
The Minister said: “I want to apologise to the family of the late Dara, they have suffered enough through the loss of Dara without having to deal with this.”
She added: “I really do want to say I’m very sorry for what happened, it shouldn’t have happened.”
Ms Humphreys added that members of the force who don’t adhere to the Gardaí’s code of conducts will be held to account.
In the wake of Quigley’s death, members of the public called for both Garda reform, as well as the need for legislation on image based sexual abuse.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald addressed the Dáil in 2018 saying: “When we talk about Garda culture and reform and accountability, this is the rawest end of a deplorable culture of humiliation and disregard for human beings.”
In 2021, Coco’s Law, or the Harrassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act was enacted, which criminalises the sharing of intimate images without a person’s consent.
If you have been affected by any of the details of this article, you can contact Women’s Aid’s 24 hour helpline on 1800 341 900 and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 77 8888.
