Fundamental answers demanded over how case against Limerick gardai was 'ever allowed to proceed'

A TD has called for “accountability” following the not guilty verdicts delivered at Limerick Circuit Court, where a retired superintendent and four serving gardaí were cleared of all charges after a nine week trial.

Former Superintendent Eamon O’Neill, Sergeant Michelle Leahy, Garda Anne-Marie Hassett, Garda Tom McGlinchey and Garda Colm Geary were found not guilty of 39 charges in relation to attempting to pervert the course of justice 

Deputy Alan Kelly, in a statement, said the case represents a serious misuse of public resources and a failure of garda leadership under former Commissioner Drew Harris that “cannot go unanswered”.

“This eight week trial has ended with the five fully cleared of all charges, and we must now ask fundamental questions about how this case was ever allowed to proceed. Thirty nine charges were brought over alleged interference in road traffic prosecutions, yet the court rejected them in their entirety. After years of investigation and months of court time, this case collapsed completely, and the public deserves to know who took these decisions and why.

“There must be full transparency on the cost of this investigation and prosecution. Vast garda resources, legal fees, and court time were consumed in a case that failed on every count. At a time when communities across the Mid-West were crying out for visible policing, resources were diverted into a prosecution that went nowhere, representing a deeply troubling use of public money.”

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Mr Kelly said the human cost of this cannot be ignored. 

“Five gardaí were left under a cloud for almost seven years, with their professional and personal lives put on hold. No one who serves the State should be put through an ordeal of that length only to be fully vindicated in court. Their removal from frontline duties also had real consequences.

“This case raises serious questions about the leadership style and decision making under former Commissioner Drew Harris, as well as the roles of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. An eight week trial ending in full acquittal demands answers.”

Deputy Kelly concluded: “We now need a full examination of how this case was handled, clear accountability for those responsible, and reforms to ensure that gardaí, public money, and confidence in the justice system are never put at risk in this way again.”

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Minister of State at the Department of Justice Niall Collins said the court considered all the evidence, and the five have been found not guilty, on all counts, by a jury of their peers.

“I am glad that those involved can now put this extremely stressful and traumatic period behind them. I know how exceptionally difficult it must have been for them and their families. 

“What is now important is that the serving gardaí can go back to do what they do best and keep their communities safe, as they have always done,” said Mr Collins.