Gardaí have warned the public of “completely inaccurate” information circulating online about the death of Garda Kevin Flatley.
Gda Flatley became the 90th member of An Garda Síochana to lose his life while on duty when he was struck by a motorbike on the R132 near Lusk in Co Dublin on Sunday morning.
An alleged eyewitness account of the incident has been circulated on social media.
In a statement, Gardaí said the account has “no basis whatsoever in fact.
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“This type of misinformation also risks diverting Garda resources and time from what is a complex and ongoing investigation into this collision.
“We have regularly highlighted the rise in the level of misinformation, disinformation and fake news.”
The statement went on to criticise “misinformation, disinformation and fake news (which) are typically amplified by multiple accounts in order to spread concern within communities.
“We appeal to all members of the public to independently verify any information that you are reading on social media and/or messaging apps.”
Gardaí have referred the misinformation report to the social media companies involved.
They added: “It is a matter for them to comment on requests from An Garda Siochana for this material to be removed from their platforms.”
