Garda probe after pepper spray film provokes outcry

A Garda inquiry into the apparent pepper spraying of a handcuffed homeless man by a member of the force is under way.

Amateur footage of the incident has been viewed almost half a million times since it was posted on Facebook last Friday, prompting an outcry on social media.

A Garda superintendent has been assigned to carry out the investigation and witnesses are being asked to come forward.

A spokesperson for the independent complaints body, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, said it was also examining the video footage to decide whether to carry out its own investigation.

GSOC usually acts on foot of complaints lodged by alleged victims of Garda errors or wrongdoing, but the body can also launch its own inquiry if required.

The one-minute video shows a uniformed garda standing over a man lying in the doorway of a vacant shop premises with one leg inside a sleeping bag.

The man is already handcuffed, for as yet unknown reasons.

When he makes a move forward as if to get up, the male garda pushes him back and then pins him down with his foot on the man’s free leg.

The officer then appears to pepper spray the man twice, before addressing gathering bystanders, some of whom complained about the man’s treatment.

He told members of the public to move away for their own safety.

The man is left holding his hands to his face.

The incident happened at around 3.30pm last Friday on Henry St in Dublin and was filmed by Dublin Institute of Technology student, Philip Campion.

He did not capture what had led to the man being handcuffed in the first place.

Mr Campion posted the footage on his own Facebook page last Saturday night, explaining that he was outraged by what he witnessed.

By yesterday evening, it had been viewed over 480,000 times on his Facebook page and 12,000 times on YouTube. It had also been shared thousands of times on other social media sites.

Fr Peter McVerry, who campaigns for the homeless, described the footage as “shocking” and called for an investigation.

Socialist Party TD Ruth Coppinger backed the call. Sinn Féin TD Dessie Ellis said he would formally request GSOC to investigate the incident.