A jury in Limerick has been reminded that sympathy for the accused cannot influence their decision in the high-profile trial of a retired Garda Superintendent and four serving gardaí.
The five face serious charges relating to attempts to quash potential or pending road traffic prosecutions.
The Accused and the Charges
Retired Superintendent Eamon O’Neill, Sergeant Anne Marie Hassett, Sergeant Michelle Leahy, Garda Tom McGlinchey, and Garda Colm Geary have pleaded not guilty to a total of 39 counts of conduct intended to pervert the course of justice.
The majority of the charges — 27 in total — are against Mr O’Neill.
The allegations centre on Mr O’Neill allegedly using his position and personal connections to intervene in traffic prosecutions.
The court heard he exchanged text messages with motorists, including prominent local figures, requesting help from garda colleagues to have fines or penalty points canceled.
Connections That Led to Controversy
Prosecutor Mr Hanahoe KC told the jury that Mr O’Neill’s involvement was not random but based on close personal ties.
The individuals involved included members of the Limerick senior hurling panel and a local politician.
“The common feature is the personal close connection of Eamon O’Neill and how that worked its way down to the other defendants,”
Mr Hanahoe said, arguing that the case was not about legitimate discretion but about favoritism and personal preference.
Discretion or Preference
The court heard that the defense had tried to frame the case as a debate over garda discretion — the legitimate ability of a detecting garda to decide whether to pursue a prosecution.
Mr Hanahoe countered that none of the accused were acting as detecting officers, and what was at issue was whether some people were treated differently because of who they knew.
“In reality, we are not talking about discretion at all.
It’s the prosecution’s case that discretion was replaced by preference, and who do you play for, and who do you work for,” he said.
Alleged Unlawful Interventions
According to the prosecution, Mr O’Neill passed on requests from motorists to other garda colleagues with a view to having fines “squared” or canceled.
The alleged interventions were systematic, stemming from personal connections rather than chance.
Mr Hanahoe highlighted that the four serving gardaí had been suspended for six years, acknowledging the jury might feel sympathy, but he stressed that emotional considerations must not influence the verdict.
Warnings Against Distraction
The prosecution also accused defense barristers of attempting to distract the jury from the evidence.
“Barristers for the five accused had acted like a magician saying look over here and forget what we are here to examine,” Mr Hanahoe said.
He urged jurors to review the evidence “in a cold and dispassionate way, without prejudice and without sympathy.”
Next Steps in the Trial
Closing speeches continue Thursday, with each of the five accused set to have their own defense barrister present arguments.
The jury will then deliberate on whether the evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the gardaí unlawfully intervened in the traffic prosecutions.
The trial has drawn attention due to the seniority of the officers involved and the implications it could have for public trust in law enforcement oversight.
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