AN ASSOCIATE of a notorious Limerick gang charged with public order offences, had, according to his solicitor, expressed doubts about the authenticity of a garda who had stopped and questioned him.
Forty-six-year-old Jimmy Collins of Hyde Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, was charged with being highly abusive towards garda Gary Farrell who had stopped him in the company of four other men, in the Hyde Road area of Limerick last year.
Giving evidence in the District Court, garda Farrell noted that the accused became highly abusive when questioned.
Inspector Seamus Ruane told the court that the accused man was “known to gardai and had 34 previous convictions”, the last of which came on March, 2009, for the theft of deli goods to the value of €2.46 from Tesco, Roxboro.
Sarah Ryan, solicitor, handed in correspondence to Judge Tom O’Donnell noting that the accused had become suspicious about certain people purporting themselves to members of the gardai.
“My client had suspicions of people presenting themselves as gardai, as previous incidents had proven this. The gardai member in question arrived to the area in a an unmarked patrol car and this aroused the suspicions of Mr Collins”.
Judge O’Donnell asked garda Farrell as to whether or not he was dressed in his official uniform, and the garda member confirmed that he was in uniform.
The solicitor responded saying that her client would “know more of the senior members of the force and just did not know garda Farrell, and was therefore suspicious.
“I find it hard to believe that this is the case”, added Judge O’Donnell, “especially given that garda Farrell was in uniform”.
Judge O’Donnell, satisfied as to the facts of the case, and taking into account the guilty plea, convicted and fined Collins, €250, and ordered that it be paid within six months or if found to be in default, serve five days in prison.
