Garda has alarming approach to bingo hall, court hears

A GARDA Superintendent who objected to a commercially run bingo hall operating in Cork city was described by the company’s barrister as a man with a mission with a “truly alarming” approach to the issue.

That was how Dermot Gleeson, counsel for Rock Bingo, described Supt Charles Barry at the High Court in Cork yesterday.

Mr Gleeson said the managing director of Omega, James Barber, who was trying to operate Rock Bingo in Togher, Cork, was a highly regarded businessman in the community.

“I want to try to make clear this is not some nefarious or borderline criminal enterprise. It is entirely lawful and carried on by highly respectable people,” the former attorney general said yesterday before Mr Justice Frank Clarke.

Tim O’Leary, counsel for the other side, said that while his submissions would not be made until today, he wanted to say for the record: “The state is standing full square behind Supt Barry.”

Mr O’Leary added that he would reject the majority of the contentions made by Mr Gleeson.

Mr Gleeson said Supt Barry had operated under a misunderstanding and misapprehension of the relevant legislation. He criticised what he described as search and seizure conducted by gardaí under Supt Barry including the seizing of every one of the bingo books in Mr Barber’s premises amounting to €20,000 worth of bingo books.

Mr Justice Clarke heard submissions from Mr Gleeson throughout yesterday.

Rock Bingo, operated by Omega Leisure Ltd, is seeking a High Court declaration that their operations are legal and that gardaí are acting outside their powers in threatening to raid the premises in Togher, Cork.

The operators secured a High Court injunction and staged two nights of operations on November 3 and 4. However, after being informed that gardaí planned further raids of the premises, the operator shut down bingo events pending a full High Court hearing.