A Fine Gael councillor asked a Garda superintendent to “sort” a speeding ticket for him, a trial heard on Wednesday.
Text messages exchanged between Limerick County Fine Gael councillor Liam Galvin and Garda superintendent Eamon O’Neill were heard in evidence at the trial of Mr O’Neill, now retired, and four serving gardaí.
Mr O’Neill and the four gardaí are accused of unlawfully interfering with pending or potential road traffic prosecutions.
The court heard Mr Galvin, of Ballaugh, Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick, sent Supt O’Neill an image of a fixed charge penalty notice relating to him being detected by Garda Josephine Falvey, allegedly speeding at 142km/h in a 120km/h zone on the M20 on November 12th, 2017.
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The image allegedly sent by Mr Galvin to Mr O’Neill was accompanied by a text message that said: “Please read, chat later.”
In response, Mr O’Neil texted Mr Galvin: “A decent lady”, to which Mr Galvin replied: “sort her so”.
A subsequent text message sent from Mr O’Neill to Mr Galvin said: “Have I ever let you down, kid?”
A later message sent by Mr Galvin to Mr O’Neill read: “Can you sort that for me?”
Mr O’Neill replied: “I’m trying my friend.”
A further message sent by Mr O’Neill to Mr Galvin asked: “How many have you ATM?”, to which Mr Galvin replied: “Not sure, but lots.”
A further message sent from Mr Galvin to Mr O’Neill was of an image of a council motion captioned with the words “Ha ha ha”, which stated: “I will move to ask the government for a review of go safe vans in Co Limerick.”
A subsequent text message sent from Mr O’Neill to Mr Galvin said: “Is sorted.”
Mr Galvin is not one of the five accused on trial, he has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and he was not arrested as part of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investiagtion (GNBCI) inquiry.
The five accused – Mr O’Neill, his wife Sgt Anne-Marie Hassett, Sgt Michelle Leahy, of Roxboro Road Garda station; Garda Tom McGlinchey, of Murroe Garda station; and Garda Colm Geary, of Ennis Garda station – have pleaded not guilty to a total of 39 counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
It is the State’s case that Mr O’Neill received requests from civilians and other gardaí to get potential or pending road traffic offences against motorists withdrawn or struck out of court. The State alleges Mr O’Neill forwarded these inquires on to his co-accused to check with gardaí involved in the prosecutions if anything could be done to withdraw or strike out the cases.
Mr O’Neill said in a prepared statement to investigating gardaí that “the involvement of members of An Garda Síochána, in particular, those of high rank, including superintendents, in dealing with fixed charge penalty notices ... is not a criminal offence and never was a criminal offence”.
Mr O’Neill also argued that “internal circulars and reports within An Garda Síochána allow for such behaviour”.
He added: “Discretion is part of good policing, and the cultivation of good community relations, which is fundamental to the work of An Garda Síochána.”
In a statement given to investigating gardaí, Ms Hassett said any communication she had with colleagues concerning alleged offences committed by civilians or others was in the “bona fide pursuit of the long established custom and practise, by members of Garda Síochána, in assisting prosecuting members to exercise properly and appropriately their discretion” in each case.
She “strenuously denied” the three charges against her, saying any actions by her were guided by Garda principles.
The trial, which is in its fifth week, is continuing before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.
