Limerick District Court Charged 3 Gardai On 33 Counts

Three serving members of An Garda Síochána have appeared before Limerick District Court facing serious charges related to an investigation into the alleged manipulation of Fixed Charge Notices.

The probe, led by detectives from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Dublin, has resulted in significant legal proceedings for the accused officers.

The three individuals charged by the Limerick District Court are Garda Peter O’Donnell, aged 51, Garda Paul Baynham, aged 35, and Garda Niall Deegan, aged 49. All three are currently stationed in the Limerick Garda Division.

Their appearances in Limerick District Court followed their arrest and cautioning at Mayorstone Garda Station last Tuesday. Each officer has been remanded on station bail and was required to appear before the District Court as part of the ongoing legal process.

During the late lunchtime sitting in courtroom number six, the accused sat separately in the dock, each represented by Liz Hughes from Hughes Murphy Solicitors, based in Wellington Quay, Dublin. The court proceedings were focused on the formal charges and the subsequent legal steps.

The charges against the three Gardaí by the Limerick District Court involve a total of 33 counts under legislation related to the perversion of justice. Specifically, the charges allege that, while serving as members of An Garda Síochána, each accused communicated with other Gardaí in a manner that was either intended to or had the potential to obstruct or pervert the course of public justice. These actions are reported to have occurred over various dates between 2017 and 2019.

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Garda O’Donnell faces 14 separate counts of this nature. He was arrested and charged at 7 pm on the day in question. Garda Baynham is charged with ten separate counts, and he was taken into custody at 6:27 pm. Garda Deegan faces nine counts and was arrested at 6:02 pm on the same day.

Detective Inspector Mark Waters, from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Dublin, provided evidence in court regarding the arrests and charges. He confirmed that each accused made no reply when the charges were read.

Inspector Waters also informed the Limerick District Court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed that the cases of all three Gardaí be tried on indictment at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court. This means that the proceedings will be elevated to a higher court where more serious charges are addressed.

Throughout the hearing, none of the accused gardaí made any statements or responses. As a result, specific details of their cases were not discussed during this initial court appearance.

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Judge Patricia Harney presided over the session and decided to remand the three accused on continuing bail. The matter was adjourned to 24 October by the Limerick District Court, at which point the State’s Books of Evidence will be served. This will provide a detailed account of the evidence against the accused, making the way for the next stages of the legal process.

The appearance of the three Gardaí in Limerick District Court and the serious nature of the charges against them underscore the gravity of the allegations and the ongoing efforts by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation to uphold the integrity of the justice system.

As the legal proceedings continue, further developments are expected, including a more detailed examination of the evidence and the preparation for trial.