May Day garda abuse probes to be completed this year

OUTSTANDING cases involving alleged garda abuses during the May Day 2002 clashes are due to be completed by the end of the year, it was confirmed yesterday.

The Garda Complaints Board (GCB) yesterday said the bulk of the 41 cases of alleged abuse relating to the Reclaim the Streets rally had been dealt with and that the remaining cases would follow.

The complaints concern allegations of discourtesy, neglect of duty and abuse of authority.

On Monday, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the GCB to proceed with its investigation into one of the gardaí caught up in the events of that day.

The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by Garda Donal Corcoran against a High Court refusal to stop the GCB proceeding with a complaint that he failed to wear identification on his uniform during the clashes.

Garda Corcoran, from Churchtown, south Dublin, was cleared by a jury at the Circuit Criminal Court in November 2004 of assaulting two men and a woman during the anti-globalisation rally.

The GCB received a complaint against Garda Corcoran which alleged he had failed to wear identification on his uniform.

Garda Corcoran claimed that press releases and statements by the board and its chairman showed it had an objective bias and that he would not get a fair trial of the complaint against him.

A spokesman for the GCB said the bulk of the 41 cases had been dealt with and that following Monday’s judgment, they would now carry on with the remaining cases. He declined to comment any further.

The GCB previously stated that 23 of the 41 cases had been closed for various reasons, including failure on the part of the complainant to follow up the complaint, or a decision by the person to withdraw it.

Of the remaining 18 cases, six were embroiled in related court cases.