Text seeking leniency for All-Ireland hurler's speeding revealed in trial of 5 gardai
A garda sergeant accused of perverting the course of justice texted a colleague who caught a Limerick All Ireland-winning hurler speeding, asking: ‘Any way you could you do something for him?’
The evidence emerged at the trial of a retired superintendent and four gardaí accused of unlawfully interfering in pending or potential road traffic offences between October 2016 and September 2019, at Limerick Circuit Court yesterday.
The five accused are retired Superintendent Eamon O’Neill; Sergeant Anne Marie Hassett; Sergeant Michelle Leahy; Garda Tom McGlinchey and Garda Colm Geary, attached to stations in the Limerick and Clare Garda Divisions. They have pleaded not guilty to 39 offences.
A garda sergeant accused of perverting the course of justice texted a colleague who caught a Limerick All Ireland-winning hurler speeding, asking: ‘Any way you could you do something for him?’ (stock image) Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
Witness Sergeant Patricia Ryan, formerly of the Limerick Divisional Roads Policing Unit, said she detected Pat Ryan – a member of the Limerick side that had just won the All-Ireland senior hurling title – allegedly driving a black BMW 318 car at 135kph in a 100kph zone, at Dooradoyle, Limerick, on November 14, 2018.
Sgt Ryan said she explained to Mr Ryan that a fixed charge penalty notice would be issued.
Sgt Ryan said she received a text message from Sgt Hassett afterwards. The message which was shown to the court, read: ‘Hey missus. Anne-Marie Hassett here. Sorry to be bugging you but you stopped a fella today, Pat Ryan, Doon. He’s on the Limerick panel with Eamon. Any way you could you do something for him? No panic if you can’t and sorry again for annoying you about this.’
The evidence emerged at the trial of a retired superintendent and four gardaí accused of unlawfully interfering in pending or potential road traffic offences between October 2016 and September 2019, at Limerick Circuit Court yesterday. (stock image) Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
Sgt Ryan replied: ‘I’m sorry Anne-Marie, I’ve all my incidents on the system. Unfortunately, once they’re on the system they can’t be deleted.’
Sgt Ryan agreed with prosecuting barrister Carl Hanahoe that ‘Eamon’ in Sgt Hassett’s text referred to co-accused, Eamon O’Neill, who the court has heard is Sgt Hassett’s partner.
Mr Hanahoe asked Sgt Ryan why she told Sgt Hassett she had input all of her incidents on the roads detection system, when she in fact had not. Sgt Ryan replied: ‘It was a polite way of saying no.’
The five on trial, following a probe conducted by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, are accused of ‘engaging in conduct tending and that intended to pervert the course of justice’.
The charges against Mr O’Neill, Sgt Hassett, Garda Geary and Garda McGlinchey are related to them each allegedly communicating with a Garda or gardaí in respect of terminating prosecutions.
Sgt Michelle Leahy faces two charges relating to having a summons ‘struck out’ and a summons ‘withdrawn’ from court in her role as Court Presenter. Garda witnesses called to give evidence by the prosecution said ‘discretion’ was part of normal policing, and they had used their own discretion on a ‘case-by-case’ basis.
Superintendent Oliver Kennedy, Roxboro Road, said he agreed with this. Supt Kennedy also agreed that, in his prior role as a prosecuting court sergeant, he used his ‘common sense’ when dealing with cases which were often withdrawn or struck out.
Inspector John Dunne, Mullingar Garda Station, formerly a sergeant, Limerick Division, agreed, under cross examination by Jim O’Mahony, barrister for Sgt Hassett, that using discretion in certain situations was ‘no big deal’. Insp. Dunne gave evidence that he asked a garda in his unit if she would consider exercising her discretion in respect of a motorist she detected allegedly holding a mobile phone while driving.
Insp Dunne said he was passing on the query from a colleague who had been contacted by the accused, Mr O’Neill, then Supt O’Neill. Insp. Dunne said the garda replied she was ‘happy’ to do so: ‘It wasn’t a frequent occurrence so I didn’t place any significance in it.’
When asked by John Byrne, barrister for Garda McGlinchey, if since then nobody had cautioned him as a ‘suspect’ for wrongdoing or served him with disciplinary papers, Insp Dunne replied: ‘No, I’m not under any investigation.’
The trial, before a jury of eight men and four women is expected to run for another three weeks.
