Involvement in dealing with fixed charge penalty notices 'custom and practice' for gardaí, retired superintendent stated

“It is not a criminal offence and never was a criminal offence," now-retired Garda superintendent stated to investigating detectives attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation in June 2020.

Retired Garda superintendent Eamon O'Neill. Picture: Liam Burke/Press 22

A retired Garda superintendent, who is on trial for allegedly unlawfully attempting to interfere in summonses for road traffic offences, told investigating gardaí that directives within An Garda Síochána always allowed the involvement of high-ranking gardaí, such as superintendents, in such matters.

Eamon O’Neill, retired from the Limerick Garda Division, said this in a prepared statement he handed to investigating detectives attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI), during an interview he voluntarily participated in, under caution, in June 2020.