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 Ukraine Buys Huge Amounts of Russian Fue... Fri Jan 20, 2023 08:34 | Antonia Kotseva

offsite link Turkey Has Sent Ukraine Cluster Munition... Thu Jan 12, 2023 00:26 | Jack Detsch

offsite link New Israeli Government Promises to Talk ... Tue Jan 10, 2023 21:13 | Al Majadeen

offsite link Russia Training Iranian Pilots Ahead of ... Tue Jan 10, 2023 15:19 | The Times of Israel

offsite link Lukashenko Abolishes Copyright Protectio... Tue Jan 10, 2023 15:05 | Nikki Main

Anti-Empire >>

Human Rights in Ireland
A Blog About Human Rights

offsite link UN human rights chief calls for priority action ahead of climate summit Sat Oct 30, 2021 17:18 | Human Rights

offsite link 5 Year Anniversary Of Kem Ley?s Death Sun Jul 11, 2021 12:34 | Human Rights

offsite link Poor Living Conditions for Migrants in Southern Italy Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:14 | Human Rights

offsite link Right to Water Mon Aug 03, 2020 19:13 | Human Rights

offsite link Human Rights Fri Mar 20, 2020 16:33 | Human Rights

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Women?s Team with Five Male Players Wins Competition After One Male Player ?Broke Opponent?s Leg? ? ... Thu Mar 28, 2024 19:30 | Will Jones
A women?s football competition has been branded misogynist after it was won by a team featuring five transgender players, amid accusations one had broken an opponent?s leg in two places.
The post Women’s Team with Five Male Players Wins Competition After One Male Player “Broke Opponent’s Leg” ? But Teams Who Refuse to Play Against Them Are Branded “Discriminatory” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Further Evidence Gaza Casualty Numbers Are Fake Thu Mar 28, 2024 17:36 | Will Jones
The evidence that the Gaza casualty numbers from the Hamas-run Health Ministry (now over 32,000) are wildly inflated continues to mount. Mark Zlochin looks at what the proportions of male and female UNRWA workers tell us.
The post Further Evidence Gaza Casualty Numbers Are Fake appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Don?t Be Fooled by the ?Britain is Growing? Fairytales Thu Mar 28, 2024 15:22 | David Craig
Don't be fooled by the 'Britain is growing' fairytales, says David Craig. Any 'growth' is accounted for by the hike in the benefits bill and in civil servants' pay and a heap of other unproductive deficit spending.
The post Don’t Be Fooled by the ‘Britain is Growing’ Fairytales appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Climate: The Movie is a Perfect Cure for Climate Anxiety Thu Mar 28, 2024 13:00 | Toby Young
Climate Change: The Movie, the new film by Martin Durkin, should be shown at every school in the country to disabuse anxious young people of the idea that we're in the midst of a 'climate emergency'.
The post Climate: The Movie is a Perfect Cure for Climate Anxiety appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The WHO?s Plot to Seize Power Over Nation States in Future Pandemics Must Be Stopped Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:12 | Will Jones
The World Health Organisation is gearing up to persuade the world's governments to sign a new pandemic treaty that would allow the unelected body to seize power over nation states in future pandemics, warns Matt Ridley.
The post The WHO’s Plot to Seize Power Over Nation States in Future Pandemics Must Be Stopped appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Moscow attack reminds us of the links between Islamists and Kiev's fundamentalis... Tue Mar 26, 2024 06:57 | en

offsite link Failure to assist a people in danger of genocide, by Hassan Hamadé Tue Mar 26, 2024 06:32 | en

offsite link Yugoslavia March 24, 1999 The Founding War of the New Nato, by Manlio Dinucci Sun Mar 24, 2024 05:15 | en

offsite link France opposes Russian Korean-style peace project in Ukraine Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:11 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N°79 Fri Mar 22, 2024 11:40 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Spotlight on Gardai in controversial trial.

category national | crime and justice | opinion/analysis author Saturday April 19, 2014 13:09author by Mark White Report this post to the editors

Please allow me an opportunity through your site to comment on the interesting I.Green article (31st March 2014) on Garda corruption. While the article deals with a number of cases I will focus on one case in particular, which is less likely to get mentioned during all the present hype into the endless Garda tapes debacle. In my view the case of Michael Mc Kevitt is equally, if not more significant, regarding corrupt activity by some members of the Gardai. Evidently misdemeanours by certain individuals throughout the Mc Kevitt case were endemic. Fearful of the reverberations it is very unlikely that the state would permit the case to be reopened.


The information I wish to highlight concerns the appointment of Detective Garda (name known) to the position of security driver to Mr Justice Richard Johnston around the time of Michael Mc Kevitt’s arrest. On the face of it the appointment may appear normal practice but on closer examination it reveals something more disturbing. The reason for this issue being of such significance is due to the fact that the judge (Johnston) was the senior judge presiding in the Mc Kevitt trial and the Garda driver had been on surveillance duty on Mr Mc Kevitt for a considerable period prior to his arrest. As a result the Garda driver would have had detailed knowledge of and was familiar with Mr Mc Kevitt. From a legal standing there was certainly a conflict with the driver’s appointment at that time but perhaps there was another sinister dimension to it.
Of course the appointment of that particular driver to Mr Justice Johnston could be coincidental but the fact that he had worked with the Garda unit involved in Mc Kevitt’s case certainly smacks of a deliberate and deceitful scheme that had been in progress around that time. However, regardless of what one may think or say of the appointment, it was totally inappropriate in legal terms and the information should have been made available to Mr Mc Kevitt’s legal advisors back then, apparently it wasn’t.

Had such information been divulged it would have had ramifications during the trial process or at the subsequent appeal hearings. It would unquestionably have had a bearing on the eventual outcome of Mr Mc Kevitt’s trial and subsequent conviction. At very least it would have resulted in a retrial.

It must be conceded however, that no one could dare accuse either men of exchanging inappropriate views or comments during the drive to and from the court and wherever else they travelled during his term as driver. However, regardless of what excuses were forthcoming, had it been divulged at that time the defence lawyers would have made objections and the judge would not have been permitted to preside over such a major trial, for obvious reasons. Questions would also have been asked concerning the appointment of the driver and it could and more likely would have warranted an investigation. It must also be conceded that Mr Justice Johnston may not have been aware of the driver’s prior duties either. On the other hand the Garda driver would have had full knowledge of the inappropriateness of such an appointment and he should have brought it to his superior’s attention but more importantly to the Judge’s attention. One can only assume that everything was kept quiet but it was known in some quarters, they also knew that it was inappropriate and it was decided to conceal it. The fact that it wasn’t brought to anyone’s attention can only leave one to speculate that something was seriously wrong with such an appointment at that time.

I have followed a number of those cases mentioned in the Green article for a considerable time but the Mc Kevitt case has always fascinated me. I am amazed how the case from a human rights viewpoint has not been highlighted throughout the trial and subsequent appeals. I have come to believe that the authorities and particularly many in media circles tainted Mc Kevitt and his entire family so much that no one would dare highlight his case fearful of being described as being a supporter of militant republicanism. The media’s activity against Mc Kevitt was designed to create an image in the minds of the public to ensure that he was guilty even before the trial got under way and it worked.
Although many legal inconsistencies are well documented throughout the case, I am confident that there are many other serious factors that have been covered up, like the one just mentioned. The fact that former Garda Commissioner Callinan was the leading investigator in the case should in itself merit an examination into the more questionable allegations in the case including the serious contradictions uncovered in Callinan’s evidence.

John Wilson the Garda whistle blower speaking on the Late Late Show (4th April 2014) said that he believes that many more revelations will come out in the months ahead. Perhaps someone’s conscience will feel the guilt and decide that it is time to come forward as a whistleblower in the case of Michael Mc Kevitt. Maybe they should listen to the speech from the new Commissioner in Templemore (April 4 2014). In it the interim Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan signalled a change in attitude towards whistleblowers. However, only time will tell if she is serious.

Mark White.

© 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