Limerick gardaí accused of perverting course of justice

Two gardaí serving in the Limerick Garda Division have been returned for trial, accused of a number of counts of intending to pervert the course of justice as part of a garda investigation into the alleged squaring away of Fixed Charge Notices (FCNs) in respect of road traffic offences.

The charges follow a garda investigation led by detectives attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).

The accused, Garda Peter O'Donnell, 51, and Garda Niall Deegan, 49, appeared before Limerick District Court this morning.

Both were served with a copy of Book of Evidence and returned for trial to the present sittings of the Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.

An application for both to have Senior and Junior Counsel to act on their behalf in the circuit court proceedings was granted.

Both were remanded on continuing bail.

The court heard that a third co-accused, Garda Paul Baynham, 35, Limerick Garda Division, who is presently on bail, was not present in court today.

The matter against Garda Baynham was adjourned to next week for service of a Book of Evidence.

The three accused gardaí are facing a total of 33 charges that while they were serving as a member of An Garda Síochána, they did communicate with other gardaí, in a manner which had a tendency or was intended to pervert the course of public justice, on dates between 2017 and 2019.

Garda O’Donnell is facing 14 separate charges, under the legislation, contrary to Common Law; Garda Baynham is charged with ten separate counts; and Garda Deegan is charged with nine separate counts.