Limerick garda trial: Spontaneous cheering in court as five gardaí found not guilty

They had been accused of 38 counts of unlawfully interfering in potential or pending prosecutions involving 26 motorists. It was the first time in the history of An Garda Síochána that gardaí were prosecuted over potential or alleged malpractice in relation to road policing.

The trial began on November 11 and lasted for 35 days until the jury reached a verdict after deliberating for over six hours. 

Among the motorists in question were members of the Limerick senior hurling panel and former Limerick mayor and Fine Gael councillor Liam Galvin. Mr O’Neill was a member of Limerick manager John Kiely’s backroom team until 2019.

The alleged offences occurred between 2016 and 2019, and the prosecution case was that the defendants had interfered or attempted to interfere after the motorists were detected speeding, using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt. One of the counts referred to a case of driving without insurance for which a retired superintendent had petitioned on behalf of the motorist claiming extenuating circumstances.

The trial was the culmination of an investigation by the Dublin-based National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) that began in 2020. 

Early in the investigation eight gardaí in Limerick, including the serving members on trial, were suspended, most of them from the road policing section. The Irish Examiner has learned that between 2019 and 2024, detections of speeding vehicles in the Limerick division fell by 30% at a time when the national level of detections was constant.

Case background

During the trial, the jury were told that the common feature in all the counts was a connection to retired superintendent Mr O’Neill. Mr O’Neill had been arrested, along with other gardaí unrelated to this case, in May 2019 over contacts the NBCI believed he had had with criminal elements. 

No prosecution arose from that investigation but during the course of it, the contents of Mr O’Neill’s phone showed messages that suggested attempts to “square” tickets for individual motorists. An investigation into that was then launched, leading to the prosecution of Mr O’Neill and the four gardaí. Mr O’Neill retired in 2020.

During the trial, retired head of the NBCI Walter O’Sullivan was asked whether the investigation into the squaring of tickets was related to the fact that the original investigation into Mr O’Neill had gone nowhere. He replied that the suggestion was nonsense.

The defence case rested on the right and duty of gardaí to use discretion when engaging in road policing. In total, there were 17 barristers retained for the trial and the offices of five solicitors, as well as the DPP. 

Garda reactions

Speaking afterwards, Mr O’Neill’s solicitor, Dan O’Gorman, said “so many lives have been ruined for years and years” as a result of the prosecution.

“The State used all its power to come after Eamon O’Neill and the other accused. The State said yes and the jury have said no. The people speak and the State must and will listen.” 

In a statement, Limerick Garda Representative Association (GRA) representative Frank Thornton said the verdict followed “seven challenging, frustrating and turbulent years”.

“These members have endured personal anguish and trauma which is immeasurable and faced what I believe was a gross injustice,” he said. 

“I hope and pray long with my colleagues nationwide that they can now start their road to recovery and return to their roles in our communities which they served with distinction.”