Upcoming Events

National | Crime and Justice

no events match your query!

New Events

National

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link ?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty

Anti-Empire >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Backlash as Cows Given Synthetic Additive in Feed to Hit Net Zero Thu Nov 28, 2024 17:00 | Will Jones
Europe's biggest dairy company Arla is facing a backlash after giving cows Bovaer, a synthetic additive to their feed in an?attempt to cut their methane emissions as part of the Net Zero drive.
The post Backlash as Cows Given Synthetic Additive in Feed to Hit Net Zero appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Trump Appoints Lockdown Sceptic Jay Bhattacharya to Head National Institutes of Health Thu Nov 28, 2024 15:10 | Will Jones
Donald Trump has appointed Jay Bhattacharya, a prominent lockdown sceptic and co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, to lead the National Institutes of Health.
The post Trump Appoints Lockdown Sceptic Jay Bhattacharya to Head National Institutes of Health appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Is There a Right to Die? Thu Nov 28, 2024 13:00 | James Alexander
Is there a right to die? As the Assisted Dying Bill vote looms, Prof James Alexander ponders the issues, asking if the whole debate would change if we think of it in terms of duties instead of rights.
The post Is There a Right to Die? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Net Migration Hit Almost One Million Last Year as ONS Revises Figures Thu Nov 28, 2024 11:19 | Will Jones
Net migration?hit a record high of nearly one million in 2023, 170,000 more than previously thought, in an extraordinary indictment of the Tories' post-Brexit record on 'cutting immigration'. No wonder the NHS is overrun.
The post Net Migration Hit Almost One Million Last Year as ONS Revises Figures appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Time for Starmer to Be Honest About What Net Zero Means: Rationing, Blackouts and Travel Restriction... Thu Nov 28, 2024 09:00 | Chris Morrison
Time for Starmer to be honest about what Net Zero means, says Chris Morrison. Rationing, blackouts and travel restrictions in five years. That's according to a Government-funded report that, for a change, says it plain.
The post Time for Starmer to Be Honest About What Net Zero Means: Rationing, Blackouts and Travel Restrictions in the Next Five Years appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Russia Prepares to Respond to the Armageddon Wanted by the Biden Administration ... Tue Nov 26, 2024 06:56 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?109 Fri Nov 22, 2024 14:00 | en

offsite link Joe Biden and Keir Starmer authorize NATO to guide ATACMS and Storm Shadows mis... Fri Nov 22, 2024 13:41 | en

offsite link Donald Trump, an Andrew Jackson 2.0? , by Thierry Meyssan Tue Nov 19, 2024 06:59 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?108 Sat Nov 16, 2024 07:06 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Release of Garda exposes Corrupt Two - Tier 'Justice' System

category national | crime and justice | opinion/analysis author Monday May 30, 2011 13:50author by éirígí Sligeach - éirígíauthor email eirigisligeach at gmail dot com Report this post to the editors

Convicted garda walking free after leaving man he brutally assaulted for dead exposes corrupt two-tier nature of what passes for 'justice' in this state
Dean Foley
Dean Foley

Last Thursday (May 26), Dean Foley was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, with 12 months suspended, for assault. Foley, a serving Garda at the time of the attack, was convicted for a brutal unprovoked attack on Stephen Murphy in Cork. Foley knocked Murphy unconscious and inflicted a series of horrific injuries on him. As a result, Murphy suffered bleeding to the brain, broken teeth and broken bones to his face.

However, the next day, despite the savage nature of the attack, the judge that sentenced him reconsidered that sentence and suspended all of it ensuring Foley's immediate release. In an extraordinary decision, the judge decided to keep Foley out of prison because as a Garda he would have a 'harder time' serving his sentence than an ordinary prisoner would.

If the situation had been reversed and Garda Foley had suffered this attack and injuries at the hands of a member of the public, the attacker would not be treated so leniently. The reality is that the perpetrator would be in a prison cell for the best part of a decade.

Coincidentally a young man who carried out an assault resulting in similar injuries was recently convicted at a court in County Clare and sentenced to 6 years in prison. So while this young man goes to jail for six years, Foley walks free despite the savage brutality of his crime solely because he was a member of the Gardai.

We have regularly seen Gardai act with impunity in breaking the law and in attacking peaceful protesters. For the past ten years at anti-Shell protests in Mayo Gardai have attacked peaceful protesters causing serious injuries and hospitalisation in many instances. (click here for article on policing in north Mayo)

Such brutality are not isolated incidents. Gardai have been involved in attacking protesters on many other occasions including the 'Reclaim the Streets' demo a number of years back, éirígí's Anglo Irish Bank protest in May of last year (click here) and the student anti-cuts protest in Dublin last November (click here).

We have seen the litany of other crimes committed by Gardai, including the planting of drugs as well as weapons and explosives, the manufacturing of false confessions and the deliberate framing of individuals as exposed by the Morris Tribunal in Donegal.

All of the above are just the tip of the iceberg, yet how many Gardai have gone to jail for any of these offences? None.

On the other hand, those engaged in peaceful protest have regularly been imprisoned.

Shell to Sea spokesperson Maura Harrington has been imprisoned on five separate occasions for her role in protesting against Shell's planned pipeline in north Mayo.

Fellow campaigner Pat 'the chief' O'Donnell served five months out of a seven month sentence in Castlerea prison last year for public order offences relating to a cavalcade in support of Ms Harrington who was on hunger-strike at the time.

Many people who are unable to pay their debts or fines are regularly jailed despite the hardship inflicted on them and their families. In the first 10 months of 2010, 3,200 people were jailed in the twenty six counties for non-payment of debt. No leniency or consideration is given by the courts and the so-called justice system as they despatch working class men and women to jail for extremely minor offences and inability to pay.

Yet here we have the extraordinary situation of a judge coming back into court the day after sending a brutal attacker to prison, to change his mind and let him go free solely because he was a Garda and might have a 'hard time' in prison.

Describing the decision as “shocking but not surprising” éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey said it exposed the “corrupt and two-tier nature” at the heart of the twenty six county state's so-called 'justice' system.

Casey said: “This is a shocking decision to allow this criminal escape justice solely on the basis of him being a Garda. It gives Gardai and others in positions of authority within this state a green light to to abuse their positions and commit horrific crimes safe in the knowledge that they will not serve time.”

“While shocking, this judgement is not surprising considering the corrupt and two—tier nature of what passes for a 'justice system' in this state. It is extremely rare for a Garda to ever have to answer for his/her crimes before the courts. It is even rarer that justice is done on the seldom occasion that they do.”

"The Gardai, the courts and the 'justice system' are not there to provide justice for working people. It is there for one reason and one reason only - to serve and protect the interests of this state's elites."

Related Link: http://eirigisligeach.blogspot.com/2011/05/release-of-garda-exposes-corrupt-two.html

Pat O'Donnell after Garda Assault
Pat O'Donnell after Garda Assault

Victim of Garda Assault at student anti-cuts demo
Victim of Garda Assault at student anti-cuts demo

author by Jamiepublication date Mon May 30, 2011 15:02author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The WP pointed out how some guy got jail for spitting at a garda. Talk about hypocritical. The courts are a joke

author by Concerned citizen - citizen journalismpublication date Mon May 30, 2011 15:31author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This crime of assault by a Garda and the decision of a member of the Judiciary to allow him to walk free due to so called mitigating circumstances relating to how safe he would be in prison.

Beatings in Garda stations are supposed to be something from the past i.e. decades ago. Now, it appears to be quite common place where a Garda whether on duty or off duty in certain circumstances (without or with alcohol) are not able to control their physical senses and engage in assault with vigour to another human being and often cause brain damage. Some in custody, like the man, earlier last week are dead. Brain injury, bleed to the brain, stroke, aneurysism, MS all have one major thing in common, they impact on the neurological side of the person and the consequences are long term impact, illness and inability to hold down a responsible or full time job. Invariably it means saying goodbye to the person you were and hello to the unknown. Then add to this the impact to your family members who have to cope with a different person basically. So a blow to the head means everybody ought to understand just what the implications are. There are no excuses. Gardai can have no defence let alone a Judge who says mitigation ... they will be subject to prejudice in prison.

Anger is an emotion which we all experience but if our Gardai do not leave Templemore with sufficient psychology to understand anger and its consequences, then the system is failing us and we need our Minister for Justice to address the issue at Grassroots i.e. in Training at Templemore. A good start is a film called Anger Management...it is art form and part of creativity that allows us to control anger. It times gone by people used Boxing to harnass a persons control over anger. The famous Lugs Brannigan in the 1950's and 1960's was a Garda who had his own view on how to deal with petty criminals.

Selective Justice, articles about prison reform, morality, ethics, Corrib, etc. etc: it interests me that these are never posted on Twitter. It seems to be that Ireland is eaten up with apathy presently so if this is the case some digging in archives might be necessary to show that even during the so called Celtic Tiger breaches of civil liberties took place: now is the time to wake up and address the situation so that we can move forward as a Country, one that faces Default, per the news today.

author by Baffledpublication date Mon May 30, 2011 15:34author address author phone Report this post to the editors

540 people jailed for not paying small fines

Just over 540 people were jailed last year after failing to pay parking and TV and dog licence fines.

http://www.irishexaminer.ie/ireland/540-people-jailed-f....html

Related Link: http://www.irishexaminer.ie/ireland/540-people-jailed-for-not-paying-small-fines-156271.html
author by old codger - pensionerpublication date Tue May 31, 2011 16:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

We keep taking the corruption and will not address it publically
The irish State controlls complete power over these bodies.
JUDICIARY
GARDAI
MEDIA
OMBUDSMEN COMMITEES and many other state bodies where friends of Fianna Faill have been granted PERKS and the present government are content to maintain this controll.
We must make this clear to the public in whatever way we can or there will be no change.
IN IRELAND DEMOCRACY IS ONLY AN ILLUSION.

author by Concerned Citizen - Citizen Journalismpublication date Fri Jun 03, 2011 14:44author address author phone Report this post to the editors

for the categories of people listed by Old Codger.

When do we wake up?

Appleby chairs a Table from Office of Corporate Enforcement. These people have been chosen to build up the stakes of evidence to secure the commitment of the DPP to press charges against former staff at Anglo Irish Bank. It is hit and miss. Nobody knows if enough information can be gathered to press charges in relation to Anglo Irish Bank. The DPP & the 50/50 equation is held in suspense.

Meanwhile Mr. Drumm former Chief Executive, Anglo Irish Bank, chose the American route for bankruptcy putting himself outside the net for criminal charges in Ireland. The American's have not yet granted the Bankruptcy - let us hope they are engaging in 'Let the Fool Run'. We need a break in Ireland. We need to know how the 111 bn euro that was in their account at the time of the guarantee that no doubt disappeared, who owned it and where did it go to? We can rest assured it left Ireland or is in the process of leaving Ireland.

The Maple 10 - that select group of Anglo-Irish heads. To me the whole Anglo situation spells out the Classic Insider Trading scenario. I cannot understand why the Footsie is not investigating same. There are very strict rules and regulations relating to insider dealing in banks.

Justice delayed is Justice denied or so they say. Each tribunal surely has taught the Irish people that this is the case. Abbeylara has raised questions that have yet to be dealt with; the Moriarity is about incongruity and non resolve; while the Mahon begs the question why have we no answers.....in fact these days the people are finding out the information by wikileaks!!!

The Quinn Family have been give significant time to appoint Paul Gallagher, former AG to fight their case. What injustice is this? The Quinn family action may proceed the criminal trial if the grounds for same can be established to satisfy initially the DPP.

Where is the Criminal Assets Bureau viz a viz corporate crime!

author by James Anthonypublication date Mon Nov 07, 2011 21:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The Gardai make up the rules as they go along their merry way. Even when they are caught red handed and sentenced, the sentence is deemed cruel. He would have a hard time in prison ! who doesn't ? At least two of them got sent to Cork prison today. There should be a lot more of them getting sent down. Planting drugs, beating up protesters, who have a constitutional right to protest. They are a corporate gang of criminals, who actively subvert the constitution they swore to uphold. Just like the war criminal Bush, they believe the Constitution is just a piece of paper. Irish men and women shed blood for a Constitution of their own, and it means nothing to these corporate goons. They have been found out misreporting crime statistics, thefts, burguralies, etc...Liars, cheats, and worse. I would say that todays Gardai are even worse than the R.I.C of old Ireland.

author by On the Radar - NApublication date Thu Nov 21, 2013 17:21author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This is ridiculous. Can we re-ignite the topic? Can we figure out why a garda can enjoy a prison free sentence for a serious assault ?

Number of comments per page
  
 
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy