Gardaí deny 'improprieties' in IRA membership trial

Gardaí who arrested and questioned a Kildare man over his membership of the IRA have denied engaging in a "series of improprieties" during his detention.

John O’Reilly (aged 33) did not receive a break from one interview despite telling detectives that he was “very tired”, “extremely tired” and that he could not “put words together” while being questioned eight times over the course of two days at Lucan garda station in June 2009.

On trial at the Special Criminal Court, O’Reilly, of Glendale, Leixlip denied membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA, on June 25, 2009.

Video evidence of the interview, which took place at 9:32pm on June 25, was played in court and showed that detectives continued to question O’Reilly for more than an hour-and-a-half after his initial complaints of exhaustion.

Detective Garda Jude Ainsworth, who both took notes and asked questions during the interview, agreed with Mr Anthony Sammon SC (with Mr John Fitzgerald BL), defending, that it was important to take heed when a prisoner complained of tiredness, but said that he believed prisoners were afforded adequate breaks between interviews.

He agreed that he told O’Reilly that questioning would shortly come to an end over an hour before the actual termination of the session, and said he could not remember if he informed the garda member in charge when at one point O’Reilly complained of an allergic reaction.

Detective Sergeant Ciaran Farrelly denied a suggestion from Mr Sammon that, as a member of the investigating team, it was “imprudent” of him to accompany O’Reilly during a number of cigarette breaks from interview.

Det. Sgt Farrelly told the court that, as a smoker, he availed of cigarette breaks at the same time as O’Reilly and that he was requested by the garda member in charge to supervise O’Reilly during several of these breaks.

He told Mr Sammon that on occasions when he did talk with O’Reilly, conversation was limited to his family and general empathy over the situation he found himself in.

He denied telling O’Reilly during these breaks that it would be best for him to make a statement admitting membership of the IRA.

Det. Sgt Farrelly denied telling O’Reilly that without this statement, gardaí could charge him with more serious offences such as being commander of “the Dublin engineering brigade” or the manufacture of bombs, which would see him serve a sentence of up to 13 years in prison.

Det. Sgt Farrelly also denied telling O’Reilly that gardaí had photographic evidence of his association with other alleged members of the IRA.

The trial continues at the Special Criminal Court in front of Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding.