Superintendent Dave Taylor is appearing before the Disclosures Tribunal this morning.

The former Garda Press Officer has alleged in a protected disclosure that he was directed to brief the media negatively about Maurice McCabe by former Garda Commissioners Martin Callinan and Nóirín O’Sullivan.

The Tribunal has previously heard of a ‘chasm’ in the differing versions of events of an orchestrated smear campaign against Maurice McCabe.

In March, Sgt McCabe told the Tribunal about a meeting he had with the former Garda Press Officer at his home in September 2016, when Dave Taylor said “I destroyed you.”

Sgt McCabe said Supt Taylor told him there was a campaign to attack him in the form of whispering, of phone calls and text messages.

He said that he did it on the instructions of ex Commissioner Martin Callinan – and that Nóirín O’Sullivan was aware of it all.

However, counsel for Dave Taylor has said the Supt does not accept that he told Sgt McCabe that Martin Callinan composed the text messages for Supt Taylor to forward to journalists.

Supt Taylor will first be brought through his evidence by counsel for the Tribunal, after which counsel for Maurice McCabe and other parties will cross examine him – until Wednesday.