Speaking exclusively to this paper, brave survivor Margaret said she was delighted to hear of the action – ‘This is a positive step towards ensuring vulnerable people and victims of domestic violence are safer.’
18/06/2025 Trevor Bolger arriving at the Central Criminal Court (Image: )
A disgraced Garda who brutally beat his ex has now finally had his pay stopped after he was given a fully suspended sentence. He had previously been suspended from the force with pay but this has now been changed to suspension without pay.
Trevor Bolger (48) remains suspended from duty after being handed down a three month suspended sentence last week for assaulting Margaret Loftus, who is herself a former member of the force. However now the Garda Commissioner has taken the significant step of stopping Bolger’s pay – as he continues to face a disciplinary inquiry.
Speaking exclusively to this paper, brave survivor Margaret said she was delighted to hear of the action: “This is a positive step towards ensuring vulnerable people and victims of domestic violence are safer,” she said.
Asked for comment about the development this evening a Garda spokesperson said: “The named Garda in this case is currently suspended without pay.”
It comes as Margaret told us in an exclusive interview that she believes a certain cohort within An Garda Siochana protected “cunning” abuser Bolger in the past, as she spoke of her hopes that the new Commissioner will now sack him for good.
“I think it’s an absolute scandal and it’s unjust that he wasn’t sacked years ago,” she said.
And Margaret, who now doesn’t want the State to appeal Bolger’s sentence, said the fact is a disgrace – and she believes he was protected by some.
Margaret Loftus Rouse speaking on RTE Prime Time(Image: )
“The fact that he doesn’t have a firearm now and he is still on suspension, I feel like we are finally getting somewhere. But to say that he’s not been dismissed is an absolute insult to the women of Ireland,” she said.
Margaret said that, while she doesn’t think the organisation as a whole protected him, she does think that a number of people within it contributed to intimidating her which she believes was with a view to keeping her quiet.
Gardai have previously said in a statement that the Commissioner Justin Kelly “made it very clear that there is zero tolerance for domestic abuse outside and inside of An Garda Síochána.”
Bolger remains suspended – but the move to stop his pay is a significant step while the Commissioner now weighs up whether to sack him fully. Speaking today, Margaret praised the newly installed Commissioner – and said it was her hope that he will ultimately do the right thing and sack Bolger.
Trevor Bolger with an address in Swords in Co Dublin arriving at the Central Criminal Court(Image: Collins Courts)
She said: “I have full faith that the Garda Commissioner is going to make the best decision for the organisation and for the women of Ireland. He himself may be stuck within an internal inquiry process right now. But I have no doubt in my mind that he is going to take the necessary action to ensure there is no reputational damage done to An Garda Siochana.”
Last week Bolger was given a suspended sentence having pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of assault that carried a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment. His plea meant more serious charges of threats to kill and coercion were dropped – much to the dismay of Margaret, who has spent years in the courts fighting for justice.
However despite her disappointment Margaret revealed she actually doesn’t want the State to appeal the sentence – and does not want another cent of taxpayer’s money spent on Bolger.
Victim Margaret Loftus(Image: Collins Photo Agency)
Last year, Detective Garda Rioghnach O’Sullivan told the court that in October 2012, the couple had travelled to her home county in Balla, Co Mayo, for a family event.
Bolger was irate because Ms Loftus spoke to her family and did not stay by his side, and he sat at the bar drinking for the night.
When they returned home to her childhood bedroom in which they were staying, he hit her in the back and grabbed her by the hair while she begged him not to hurt her.
She described it as a “protracted assault” which was “terrifying”, and she feared that if she had stayed with him, she would have been killed, so she ended the marriage the next day.
You can read the rest of our exclusive interview with Margaret tomorrow morning.
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