Courts / Dublin / Report
The Jobstown Trial
Summary
Nine weeks after the Jobstown protest trial opened, a jury returned a unanimous not‑guilty verdict after just over three hours. The prosecution had alleged that six men had "plainly involved in the restriction of liberty" of Joan Burton and Karen O'Connell, who were trapped in Garda cars for three hours after a graduation ceremony. The men were said to have surrounded the cars, preventing the women from leaving the church yard, and to have moved the cars "inch by inch" along Fortunestown Road. Defence counsel argued that the women were kept in the vehicle because of a fear of violence, not because of the men's actions, and criticised Garda testimony as unreliable. Video footage was repeatedly shown, and the judge instructed the jury to treat it as the primary evidence.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: The Jobstown Trial. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- February 2015 Incident
- October 2016 Other
- 2017-06-29 Publication
Why: She was advised by gardaí to leave in an unmarked garda car in order to avoid the crowd. CNI source report
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Fortunestown Road
Topics
Related court reports
- Man charged with having 56k child abuse images and videos remanded on bail
- Ex-Dáil hopeful's allegations against former employer 'complete fantasy', WRC told
- Mater must pay €10k to worker who said he was wrongly accused of abusing patient
- 'I think we know I won't be getting bail' - Daniel Kinahan charged with directing criminal organisation
- Letting agent who claimed alleged domestic violence victim abandoned tenancy by fleeing to refuge must pay €14.7k
- 77-year-old with 470 convictions told Luas staff to 'f**k off'
Help us improve this report
Your request is saved for the newsroom's next review. It does not immediately change the published report.
Prefer email? Send a correction request.