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 Climate Change is ?Slowing the Earth?s Rotation? Fri Mar 29, 2024 13:00 | Sallust
If you weren?t already gibbering in your boots at the prospect of devastating climate change, it's time to think again. Apparently, the movement of water from the 'melting icecaps' is slowing the rotation of the Earth.
The post Climate Change is “Slowing the Earth’s Rotation” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Hancock Fails to Have Bridgen Libel Case Thrown Out Paving Way for Full Trial Fri Mar 29, 2024 11:00 | Sally Beck
Matt Hancock, the ex-Health Secretary, has failed in his bid to have Andrew Bridgen's libel case thrown out after Hancock branded him antisemitic, paving the way for a full trial.
The post Hancock Fails to Have Bridgen Libel Case Thrown Out Paving Way for Full Trial appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link DEI Wokery is Swallowing Small Businesses Too Fri Mar 29, 2024 09:00 | C.J. Strachan
It's not only large corporations with hyperactive HR departments that are succumbing to efficiency-sapping wokery, says C.J. Strachan. Small and medium-sized enterprises are being swallowed up by DEI as well.
The post DEI Wokery is Swallowing Small Businesses Too appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Are We Being Gaslit Over the Cause of the Princess of Wales?s Cancer? Fri Mar 29, 2024 07:00 | Melissa Kite
First Charles and then Kate ? it's hard to ignore the soaring cancer rate when two members of the Royal Family are diagnosed within weeks. But are we being gaslit about what's behind the surge, asks Melissa Kite.
The post Are We Being Gaslit Over the Cause of the Princess of Wales’s Cancer? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Fri Mar 29, 2024 00:04 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the virus and the vaccines, the ?climate emergency? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up 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 >>

Lies, Lies And More Lies - Garda Corruption Systemic

category national | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis author Friday August 25, 2006 14:10author by Political Hostage - Michael McKevitt Justice Campaign Report this post to the editors

On 27th July 2006 after a trial lasting almost a month the jury in the case of Det. Sgt. John White took just under one hour to throw out the case against Mr. White. For five years Garda Sgt. White had an accusation hanging over him that he planted a sawn-off shotgun at a Travellers encampment. Charged on June 20th 2001 he had always denied the claim. As White left the courthouse in Letterkenny he told waiting reporters that many of his former colleagues let him down and the only ones who had helped were some of the uniformed members of the force. This assertion from White would seem to suggest that the Garda organisation contains an inner core, namely the Special Branch. Many within the Special Branch of the Gardai have been involved in controversy for decades. There exists within the Special Branch a culture that are prepared to lie and perjure themselves to secure convictions against any individual that they want out of the way.

Sgt White told the waiting media that he may take a civil case against the Garda force, however, it is unlikely that a civil case will ever see the inside of a courtroom. A civil case by White would severely damage the entire Garda organisation and could inflict untold long-term damage to a force that is under pressure in the eyes of the public. At a time when the organisations credibility is severely lacking in confidence, a civil case would be a step to far.

Throughout the past five years White made counter allegations against individual members of the Special Branch and specifically against his former superior one of the most senior detectives in the force. The most disturbing allegation made by White was that his superior, Assistant Garda Commissioner Dermot Jennings had attempted to frame him and had told lies against him in the lead up and during the trial. What White was alleging was that Jennings had perjured himself. On the other hand what Jennings was saying was that White had perjured himself. The jury accepted White’s version of events. In the past allegations of wrongdoing were directed against members of the Garda Special Branch by members of the public, however this latest development is a new departure. The allegations and counter allegations were directed between the Special Branch themselves, each accusing the other of lying.

Lurking beneath the surface of those allegations lay a discredited Garda force already under scrutiny with allegations of corruption and other wrong-doings, including fabricating evidence to secure convictions. To date many of the allegations against the Garda Special Branch have been largely ignored or dealt with covertly and out of the public eye.

Of late an increasing number of members within the Special Branch have been accused of fabricating evidence to secure convictions, particularly, during criminal and political trials in the non-jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin. The most notable trials were those of Colm Murphy and Michael McKevitt. In Murphy’s trial Garda Special Branch officers were accused of tampering with statements, (they are currently awaiting trial.)

A number of common threads run through the White case and the McKevitt case, they are, the Omagh bomb investigation, perjury, lies and Asst. Commissioner Jennings. In White’s case Jennings told the court that he vehemently rejected a suggestion that he told Sgt. White to let a bomb through into Northern Ireland after receiving a tip off from an informant. He was responding to questions about an allegation that the Garda Special Branch allowed a car bomb to cross the border to protect a confidential source in 1998. The Assistant Commissioner Jennings said it was an “absolute lie” that he made any such statement to Sgt. White during a meeting in a Dublin pub in August 1998. Sgt. White maintained that the meeting took place shortly before republican dissidents planted a a bomb in Omagh, Co. Tyrone. Although, Jennings agreed that the meeting did take place he refuted the allegations made by White about the bomb.

In the super-grass trial of Michael McKevitt, Asst. Commissioner Dermot Jennings, (Rupert’s one time Garda handler) attempted to interfere with evidence. In addition, another detective planted an illegal substance in the McKevitt home and Special Branch witnesses perjured themselves during the trial.

MI5 disclosure documents in the Michael McKevitt case state that Dermot Jennings attempted to interfere with evidence in the lead up to his trial. The reports reveal that an MI5 agent informed Jennings that David Rupert had made certain allegations against Jennings, specifically that he had expressed indifference to bombs going off in Northern Ireland. However, the MI5 agent pointed out to Jennings that if the defence (in McKevitt’s case) got hold of the report and he (Jennings) denied the content that would make Rupert an untrustworthy source. According to the MI5 document, Jennings “urged that the report be removed”. The MI5 agent also informed Jennings that there was a few more such “trickiness” in the paperwork that were being addressed. Jennings informed him that Rupert’s original statement made to the Gardai in January 2001, contained a number of mistakes and that these should be changed as quickly as possible. Jennings arranged for the statement to be sent to the US to have the changes made before the Gardai arrived to interview Rupert again.

Significantly, the conversation between the MI5 agent and Jennings took place in February, 2001 several weeks before Michael McKevitt was arrested and charged, yet they referred to his defence lawyers. This confirms that there was a conspiracy by Jennings to interfere with the evidence in Michael McKevitt’s case.

Later when Jennings was asked to comment on the reports he suggested that the agent may have misinterpreted his comments.

Document dated 28th May 2002, shows a communication between the FBI and MI5. The document reveals that the FBI agent informed MI5 that they met Dermot Jennings in Dublin on 11th July 1999. They said that “Jennings did not hide his irritation at not being told about Rupert operating in the Republic of Ireland for the previous 2 years and manifested doubt about the quality of Rupert’s reports”. MI5 in a file note of a meeting in Dublin with Gardai on 20th July 1999 recorded that Jennings said that he was irritated and sceptic about Rupert. The report also states “Jennings was moaning about Rupert and his antics.” Each of the comments from Jennings revealed in the MI5 documents were described by Jennings as misquotes, lies or misunderstandings just as in Whites case.

Throughout the limited MI5 reports in the McKevitt case, Assistant Commissioner Dermot Jennings was depicted secretly dealing with MI5 and encouraging his MI5 counterparts to interfere with evidence behind the backs of members of the Gardai. Many reports disclosed in the case, reveal that Jennings informed MI5 that he didn’t trust some members of the Gardai. These comments, coming from one of the most senior members of the Gardai force, are alarming in the extreme and need a proper investigation.

In a recent development, the latest report of the Morris Tribunal into Garda corruption has concluded that the suspended Garda, Det. Sgt John White, was the person responsible for planting a shotgun at a halting site in Co Donegal.
Mr Justice Morris concluded that the module of the Tribunal had been "fed a continuum of lies by a number of witnesses including Bernard Conlon, Detective Sergeant John White, John Nicholson and others."
White’s lawyer said: "It's quite clear that if the top people of An Garda Siochana the Commissioner [Noel Conroy] and assistant commissioners and maybe even going as far as the DPP and Minister for Justice that they should all look at their situation and consider retiring."

The allegations and counter allegations of lies and perjury leave a distinct air of uneasiness among the public, who recognise it would be foolhardy to believe that Garda corruption was confined to one area and one level within the Gardai. It is obvious to the all concerned that Garda corruption is systemic and will require a complete overhaul if public confidence is to be restored.

Related Link: http://www.michaelmckevitt.com
author by Jillpublication date Fri Aug 25, 2006 20:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I was beginning to think White might be innocent, but if he has the support of the omagh bomber and his campaign gang (Family), planting a gun is only a misdemeanor and seems like a everyday thing to do, 29 poeple and an unborn child murdered by McKevitt and his thugs, let him rot in jail and then burn in hell, cause if their is a god and hell does exist he will be there.

author by .publication date Sat Oct 21, 2006 18:30author address author phone Report this post to the editors

... is that

1. White did plant the gun on innocent travellers, then perjured himself massively to cover for it, and

2. Jennings is a similar type personality with mountains of shit to hide.

These are exactly the sort of corrupt characters this blueshirt state promotes up the greasy pole inside Special Branch and who are recognised internally as the 'elite' in terms of tout-stroking and working for MI5.

Which is not surprising, seeing as Boss Mickey McD also takes the Queen's Shillings.

Of course, this attitude filters out to all in the force, with the result that the whole Garda Siochana is now rightly recognised as a mafia bunch of bent bastards.

And no amount of Investigative Tribunals by political-buddy judges can cover it all up.

But what to do, that is the burning question.

author by comeandseepublication date Fri Nov 26, 2010 06:54author address author phone Report this post to the editors

As long as people go unquestioned and not made accountable for their actions the facets of human nature will continue to rear its ugly head.

 
© 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