Gardaí are no longer investigating Stephen Kerr of the Irish Inquiry in connection with a tweet he made in response to a post by a former Irish Independent journalist.
The investigation was instigated after now BBC journalist, Gabija Gataveckaite, made a complaint about a reply Kerr left on a tweet she posted reporting on a Garda investigation into an alleged death threat made against People before Profit TD Paul Murphy, after graffiti saying “Paul Murphy RIP” was spray-painted onto a wall.
Kerr replied with, “RIP Gabija Gataveckaite, and all your mainstream media buddies. We’re the media now:-)”, which led to his arrest at his home in Castlebar, Co. Mayo, approximately two years after the complaint was made.
Speaking to Gript after learning that Gardaí stationed in Ballymun are no longer investigating the complaint, Kerr said he believes that it was made “primarily” to “annoy” him and to “waste” his time.
He said it “also wasted” Garda time, pointing to the fact that three members of An Garda Síochána had driven from Dublin to Castlebar to question him.
“My girlfriend Susanne phoned Blanchardstown Garda station over 20 times in the space of 90 minutes last Sunday night because of serious anti-social behaviour in her neighbourhood, and nobody even answered the phone to her,” he added, saying, “Ireland is getting more dangerous by the day and yet the Gardaí are wasting their time on arresting people like me for a tweet?”
He questioned why Ms Gataveckaite had waited “over one month” to contact the Gardaí, “if she believed it was a genuine threat to her,” and “why did the Gardai then wait nearly two years to arrest me after receiving her complaint?”
Gript contacted Ms Gataveckaite seeking comment; however, she is currently on annual leave.