THE LAST man to contest a prosecution for soliciting two undercover Gardaí for sex as part of a covert Garda operation succeeded in having the case struck out “for want of prosecution”.
Operation Freewheel was set up to tackle prostitution in Limerick by targeting those who pay for sex and operate brothels.
27 men, including the defendant in last week’s case, were arrested after four female Gardaí took up posts at street corners at various locations in the city centre, including Mallow Street, Catherine Street and Barrington Street where they posed as prostitutes during November and December 2011.
The men approached the undercover Gardaí and engaged in conversation before, in some cases, making enquires as to purchasing services.
21 of the defendants pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 7 of the Criminal Law Sexual Offences Act 1993 and were ordered by Judge Eamon O’Brien to pay €470 to Doras Luimni, a support organisation for victims of human trafficking and the sex industry.
Of the six cases adjourned, two were fully contested and the defendants were fined after being found guilty of the offence.
Three more “took a certain course” following disclosure orders while the last man, who is in his late 20s, sought to represent himself at court.
He told Judge Eugene O’Kelly that he didn’t need a solicitor to tell what happened on the night because he could do that himself if he was allowed to be heard.
“There is a very simple explanation as to happened”, he said.
As the case was adjourned twice before last week’s sitting because the prosecution Garda was unavailable, Judge Eugene O’Kelly said that he didn’t need to hear the explanation and directed that the matter be struck out “for want of prosecution”.
