April 2015

Two officers involved are ‘accomplished’ boxers, High Court told

A garda, described as an “accomplished boxer”, punched a man in the face during a protest over the Shell Corrib gas field in Co Mayo, a High Court jury has been told.

The garda’s father, also garda and a boxer, then punched him in the head, the jury heard.

There was Garda “indiscipline, brutality and excessive force” during the protest and unprovoked assaults were perpetrated on three local men by gardaí, counsel for the three said.

There was an “unexplained” and “mysterious” gap in a Garda video recording of the protest, Micheál P. O’Higgins SC added.

He was opening separate civil actions by Patrick Coyle, a farmer, Barnatra, Ballina, and brothers Patrick O’Donnell and Martin O’Donnell,Shore, Porturlin, Ballina, both fishermen, over the alleged assaults.

The three cases are being heard together before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury and are listed for five days.

On the 13th of April, the EPA proposed to grant Shell an Industrial Emissions Licence to operate Bellanaboy refinery.

This proposed decision can be objected to but it will cost €126 to object or cost €100 to ask for an oral hearing.  That it costs residents of the area  €126 to put in their views of pollution being allowed in their area is a disgrace.

The proposed decision can be viewed here: http://www.epa.ie/licences/lic_eDMS/090151b28052f9be.pdf