Gardai identify colleagues in 'Reclaim the Streets' trial (1 Viewer)

[pete]

SENIOR officers have identified each of the three gardai on trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for beating a 'Reclaim the Streets' protester on the head with their batons in May 2002.

Inspector Brendan Connolly also told the jury that after witnessing an incident in the College Green area, he stepped between protesters and gardai and ordered gardai to replace their drawn batons in their pockets.

Gardai Ronan Judge and Thomas Victory of Store Street Station, and Garda Paul Daly from Pearse Street Station have denied assaulting Mr Rory McMonagle (23), of Neville Road, Rathgar, on May 6, 2002.

Chief Superintendent Gerard Byrne and Supt Francis Clarke of Store Street pointed out Victory and Judge on video, to prosecuting counsel Mr John O'Kelly SC. Inspectors Daniel Quill and Connolly of Pearse Street Station pointed out Gda Daly. Chief Supt Byrne told defence counsel, Mr Patrick J McCarthy SC that he knew both Gda Victory and Judge as they were members of his district force.

Supt Clarke told Mr McCarthy he identified Gda Judge in the film from the colour of his hair and the way he moved, though he could only see the back of his head.

He added in agreement with Mr McCarthy that he had made identification mistakes in his life like most people. Supt Clarke also told Mr McCarthy that gardai didn't know who the organisers were. He said nobody would interact with the gardai or talk to them.

There was an internet site with details about the planned protest, he said.

Gardai were briefed in advance that there would be people present with viedeo cameras.

Insp Connolly told Mr O'Kelly that individual gardai could draw their batons if they felt threatened, but gardai in a group only drew them on instruction. He said he only knew Gda Daly "slightly" at the time as he (witness) had not been at Pearse Street very long.

The hearing continues before Judge Yvonne Murphy.

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1267424&issue_id=11539

Well i dunno about anyone else, but I'm surprised.

 

[Dizzywizard]

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1267424&issue_id=11539

Well i dunno about anyone else, but I'm surprised.

its weird that their names are judge and victory!

 

[pete]

Gardai cleared of assaulting student in May Day protests

TWO gardai have been found not guilty by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury of assaulting a 'Reclaim the Streets' protester in May 2002.

Garda Thomas Victory and Garda Ronan Judge, both of Store Street garda station, had denied assault causing harm to Rory McMonagle (23) of Neville Road, Rathgar, on May 6 2002.

The jury reached its unanimous acquittal verdict on day 10 of the trial after deliberating for one hour and 15 minutes and reviewing video film recordings of the incident that led to the charges.

Judge Yvonne Murphy thanked the four women and eight men of the jury for their care and attention to the case and discharged the accused men from the court.

Judge Murphy told the jury on Friday that it was discharged in relation to the same charge against Garda Paul Daly from Pearse Street Station.

A new date is to be set for his trial.

Gda Victory told the jury in evidence on Friday that he struck out with his baton after he felt "a full force punch" to the side of his face and there was "a rush of people" around him.

Gda Victory told the jury: "I feel remorse now as I look at the video film. I feel it doesn't represent me as I have been before.

"I felt threatened, I felt frightened, and I responded for a matter of three to four seconds for my own protection," he said in reply to defence counsel, Patrick J McCarthy SC (with Breffni Gordon BL).

Gda Victory told Mr McCarthy he had used his baton only once before since he joined the gardai in 1995.

He said that was a few years ago when a man he and a colleague had arrested threatened to slash a vein in his arm with a broken bottle. They succeeded in stopping him harming himself.

Gda Victory said he made hundreds of arrests as a garda and got on "absolutely fine" with colleagues and the public.

Practically all his work was out of doors, on the beat or in the patrol car.

Gda Victory agreed with prosecuting counsel, John O'Kelly SC (with Luan O Braonain BL), in cross-examination, that no order had been given to gardai to draw their batons or to charge the crowd at the demonstration.

He told Mr O'Kelly he was aware of the regulations about baton use but he had specifically reacted to something that had happened to him alone.

Gda Victory also agreed with Mr O'Kelly that he was the garda seen on the film to strike out at McMonagle and that he had moved through the other gardai to do so at the time.

He further agreed that the video showed McMonagle was "no threat" to him at the time and that he could be seen "covering up".

Rory McMonagle told the jury that by the time the protest had moved from Burgh Quay to Dame Street and on to College Green around 6pm or 7pm, gardai "appeared to have had enough" and were aggressively pushing people from the street on to the pavement. In his opinion, they did so "without proper consideration" of those already on the pavement.

Rory McMonagle, a Trinity College student at the time, said this caused a lot of people to be squashed and fall over each other.

He said he saw a young woman lying on the ground in a foetal position as "gardai were stampeding on her" and out of concern for her he pushed a garda away.

"Then about six gardai were hitting me with their batons," he told the jury.

He said although he did not fall to the ground, he kept his head down as gardai hit him on the head, arms, and legs.

McMonagle said five or six seconds later a more senior garda, whom he believed appeared to think his colleagues' attack was "getting out of hand", put a stop to it.

It was only when McMonagle put his hand to his head that he realised he was bleeding.

He then stood there for a while with his blood-covered hand outstretched, saying to the gardai, "Look what you have done."

A short while later, McMonagle said, he moved on and was reunited with the friend he had accidentally separated from during the protest.

Rory McMonagle said he got into the first ambulance he found on the street and was treated at St James' Hospital with six stitches to close the wounds on his head.

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1270568&issue_id=11561

 

[pete]

Gardai criticise planning for 'Reclaim the Streets' protest

THE representative body for rank and file gardai last night expressed criticism of the way its members were briefed before trouble which broke out at a 'Reclaim the Streets' protest in Dublin city centre.

The criticism from a spokesman for the Garda Representative Association was echoed by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

They were speaking after two gardai were found not guilty of assaulting a 'Reclaim the Streets' protester in May 2002.

Gardai Thomas Victory and Ronan Judge of Store Street Garda Station, were unanimously acquitted of assault causing harm to Rory McMonagle (23), of Neville Road, Rathgar, Dublin.

Judge Yvonne Murphy had already discharged the jury in relation to the same charge against Gda Paul Daly from Pearse Street Station.

Last night Dermot O'Donnell, president of the GRA, said it had been a tough two years for the gardai and their families, following the pitched battle in which protesters punched gardai and were themselves struck by batons.

He said: "For the parents, family and the guards on trial, it was difficult to see young men who had joined An Garda Siochana sitting in the dock.

"There is a sense of relief from the families and from their colleagues that the men have been acquitted. We are very pleased with the result, although there is no triumphalism."

The two gardai, he said. were out doing their job to the best of their abilities - "but they were let down by system failure, in particular management failure, which is something from which lessons must be learned."

Mr O'Donnell said members were not properly briefed or prepared for the escalation of the protests on May 6.

"We are pleased that the individuals were held to be blameless by a jury of their peers, and we are particularly heartened that they were not left to carry the responsibility alone," he said.

Aisling Reidy, director of the ICCL, agreed, adding: "Irrespective of a conviction or acquittal within the criminal justice system, that doesn't absolve the gardai from broader issues of accountability. Clearly these are issues which need to be investigated."

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1270419&issue_id=11561

 

[pete]

Anatomy of a riot: how peaceful march exploded in violence

WHAT started out as an anti-capitalist street party in Dublin erupted into a level of violence and rioting which shocked the country.

Missiles were hurled through the air, punches were thrown, and gardai raised their batons to strike as the 'Reclaim the Streets' rally descended into chaos.

Eye witnesses told of their shock as up to 300 protesters clashed with gardai on Dame Street.

The protest had started peacefully enough at the GPO at 2.30pm.

Protesters who tried to erect traffic barriers at Burgh Quay were moved on by gardai. In Corn Exchange Place a group moved a Ford Fiesta into the middle of the road, danced on the roof, broke a window, and lobbed in an orange smoke bomb. Four people were subsequently arrested. According to gardai, scuffles broke out and missiles were thrown.

At 8pm, the riot squad was summoned. Most of the protesters had been hoping for a fun day out, but things had gone badly wrong.

Seven protesters sustained serious head injuries after being hit with batons. A total of 12 were taken to hospital and 24 were arrested, including Irish Independent photographer Steve Humphreys who was covering the disturbance.

An internal garda inquiry, set up on the orders of the Justice Minister, sifted through the evidence of the 100 gardai who policed the march.

Each member was called upon to give a statement within days of the event, and video film and eye-witness accounts were collated.

At its conclusion, 30 members were threatened with disciplinary action, a number of those for failing to co-operate after the inquiry met a wall of silence.

A further 20 were told they could be punished for allegedly removing their identification tags while on duty. Seven were told they would be prosecuted for assault.

A few days after the ill-fated May 6 demonstration, another rally was held - this time to protest at garda behaviour.

This time, around 2,500 people marched in protest along Dame Street. This time, An Garda Siochana adopted a softly, softly approach. This time, the rally passed off peacefully.

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1270408&issue_id=11561

 

[broken arm]

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1270408&issue_id=11561

"Anatomy of a riot" ??? a skeletal run-through of what happened by someone who wasn't there. I'm really tired of all the crap reporting and spin. anyway, I was there and it was not a riot.

grrrrrrrrrr

 

[pete]

"Anatomy of a riot" ??? a skeletal run-through of what happened by someone who wasn't there. I'm really tired of all the crap reporting and spin. anyway, I was there and it was not a riot.

grrrrrrrrrr

aye for starters they left out who actually owned the Ford Fiesta

 

[broken arm]

aye for starters they left out who actually owned the Ford Fiesta

all 8 of them.

 

[pete]

Garda cleared of May Day protest assault

15 November 2004 19:09[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

A Dublin based garda has been cleared of assaulting three students during a Reclaim The Streets protest.

A jury found Garda Donal Corcoran not guilty by unanimous verdict on three charges of assault causing harm in May 2002.

Garda Corcoran gave no reaction when the verdict was announced except a nod to his solicitor.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/1115/mayday.html
[/font]

 

[pete]

A garda has been convicted of assaulting a schoolteacher in the May Day Reclaim the Streets demonstration in 2002.

Garda Paul Daly was convicted of assault by a jury in the Circuit Criminal Court.

He and another colleague were acquitted on separate charges of assault causing harm.

In October of this year two gardaí were found not guilty of assaulting a Reclaim the Streets protestor.

A jury in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court acquitted Garda Thomas Victory and Garda Ronan Judge of assault causing harm.

And last month, a Dublin-based garda was cleared of assaulting three students during the 2002 protest.

A jury found Garda Donal Corcoran not guilty by unanimous verdict on three charges of assault causing harm.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/1206/mayday.html

 

[pete]

 

[magicbastarder]

terrible pity if the URL of this thread changed.

 

[Deadmanposting]

Garda Thomas Victory and Garda Ronan Judge of assault causing harm.

But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.