Security officers deny harassing Rangers fans at airport

A security officer sacked for harassing Glasgow Rangers fans at Dublin Airport turned up to his disciplinary hearing wearing a Celtic jersey, an employment appeals tribunal heard today.

Kenneth Geary was dismissed from Aer Rianta along with colleague Frank Flynn for gross misconduct over their treatment of Rangers supporters at the height of the Orange Order marching season in 2003.

The Dublin Airport Authority claimed the search officers’ actions on July 12 and 13, amounted to a serious breach of company policy and equality legislation.

The pair, who worked in the frisking bay at the entrance to departures, forced a group of Rangers fans from Belfast to wait before entering the search and bag x-ray zone.

Video footage from the following day showed members of the group being ordered to change their football shirts and swap track suits in order to cover-up, the tribunal heard.

Both Mr Geary and Mr Flynn have claimed they asked one or two people in the group to put on other jerseys for their own safety.

The pair claimed in statements as part of internal disciplinary action they were concerned the Rangers fans might cross paths with a crowd of Celtic fans drinking in a bar.

They were worried it may be a flashpoint, the tribunal heard.

Catherine Barber, Airport Search Unit training officer, told the tribunal the pair’s actions were premeditated and constituted gross misconduct.

She said they had spotted Rangers supporters almost two hours beforehand and agreed to keep an eye out for them.

“At that point they were singled out and treated differently from everybody else, supporters of other different football clubs were not singled out,” Ms Barber said.

“It was premeditated, it had gone on for two hours previous.”

Ms Barber claimed the search officers had agreed “to keep on the look-out” for Rangers fans about to pass the search area. She told the hearing the pair concocted a story to the internal inquiry team that they were on the look-out for women, not football supporters.

Ms Barber was asked if she knew what football team Mr Geary supported.

She told the tribunal, “Well, I did not need to ask him as he was walking into a disciplinary hearing wearing a Celtic top”.

Brendan Daley, DAA general manager of terminal operations, told the tribunal that he did not believe the pair were motivated by safety issues.

“I do not believe that Flynn was acting in the interest of health and safety of Rangers supporters,” Mr Daley said.

The tribunal was told a telephone call to the airport press office sparked an inquiry into the events.

Management, including both Mr Daley and Ms Barber, denied subsequent media reports forced airport authorities to launch a full investigation.

The hearing continues.