Republicans claim gardaí were acting politically

Two Republican activists pasting up posters for a meeting of a prisoners’ solidarity group claimed that gardaí who stopped them on the street were acting politically and not out of real suspicion in relation to drugs.

“It was more political this arrest than anything else,” John McGrath, of Apartment 1, 4 St. Joseph’s Place, Blackrock, Cork, testified at Cork District Court. He denied obstructing Garda Des Cogan or engaging in threatening behaviour.

Judge Olann Kelleher convicted him and imposed a six-month suspended jail sentence on him for the obstruction and fined him €350 on the threatening charge.

Co-accused Lawrence Twomey, of 46 Ballinsheen Court, Mahon, Cork, had the same two charges against him dismissed.

As for the other defendant, the judge said: “I have no hesitation convicting Mr McGrath.”

Inspector John Deasy said that McGrath had eight previous convictions including five for assaults. Defence solicitor Diarmuid Kelleher said McGrath had had no convictions since 2007.

Garda Cogan and Garda Nicole Fitzgerald were in an unmarked garda car at Barrack St when they observed the two men. He said McGrath put an item in his pocket as he walked away from the gardaí in a manner he considered agitated so he invoked powers of search under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

“He told me fuck off, I had no business stopping him. He said he was a political activist and I had no business stopping him. He refused to allow me to search him,” Garda Cogan said.

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