SEAN’S SWIFT EXIT

WITH a little kiss on his son’s cheek he was a free man. Just before 2pm, Sean FitzPatrick strode out of Bray Garda station, showing little obvious signs of having been through the ringer.

Silver haired, tanned and typically dapper, there was no mistaking it was him.

He sported a grey trousers, a light blue and white stripped shirt, a dark blue jacket, topped off with a lilac tie.

Although looking tired, the 61-year-old did not seem like a man who had crumbled under 24 hours of questioning and a total of 31 hours in the station.

The former Anglo boss definitely had a longer, and more exposed, walk than he would have liked on exiting the station.

He strode briskly out the main door, across the cobblestones, ran up a series of steps and over to the far side of his son’s waiting car. Some 60 feet distance in all and a good 10 seconds of exposure.

It gave the assembled photographers and cameramen — as well as reporters and onlookers — plenty of time to capture every step of his exit.

Weary photographers and cameramen had been there from when he was brought to the station at 6.30am the previous day.

Mr FitzPatrick’s solicitor, Michael Staines, had been in and out of the station and visited again at 8am, just before his client’s questioning resumed. Mr FitzPatrick was quizzed by teams of detectives from the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation on suspicion of false accounting at Anglo, an offence carrying a possible 10-year sentence on conviction.

Just before 1pm, a middle-ranking garda exited the station to tell the media they needed to keep the entrance clear.

Inspector Colm O’Malley said his warning was for health and safety reasons. That put the media on heightened alert, jumping at any movement in or out of the station. The crowd of neighbours and onlookers swelled.

Suddenly, at 1.57pm, seven gardaí sporting high visibility jackets poured out of the station entrance. Then the man himself made his exit.

Cameras snapped in overdrive, onlookers shouted uncomplimentary remarks and reporters prompted a reaction. But none was forthcoming.

Mr FitzPatrick avoided looking at the mass of people and glanced up only briefly as he got into the car. A blue 07 Volkswagen Golf had minutes before driven into the car park and stopped opposite the entrance, facing the crowd.

No one knew the driver at the time, a young man wearing a peak baseball cap, but it was subsequently confirmed to be his son.

Mr FitzPatrick got into the car, leaned over and gave his son a brief kiss on the cheek and they were off.

Gardaí cleared the exit and Mr FitzPatrick headed off to an unknown location, and, as of yet, an unknown future.