Garda cleared of theft

A garda was yesterday cleared of stealing money in allowances from the Minister for Justice after a judge ruled that evidence regarding the accused’s pay- slips was inadmissible.

Garda Ciaran Folan, aged 44, of Fethard-on-Sea, Co Wexford, had pleaded not guilty at Limerick Circuit Court to five charges that between September 2007 and January 2008 he misappropriated sums of €478.90, €954.79, €1,056.64, €462.16, and €357.78 when he was acting as finance officer at Clifden Garda station in Co Galway temporarily.

Following submissions by defence counsel Colm O’Briain on the first day of the trial, Judge Tom O’Donnell yesterday directed the jury to return not guilty verdicts on all five charges as Garda Folan’s payslips were inadmissible as evidence.