Courts / Dublin / Report

Court upholds privilege claim by surveillance garda over location

Date
2015-02-03

Stage
Charge Or Pretrial

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

The Special Criminal Court upheld a privilege claim by Detective Garda Y of the Garda National Surveillance Unit regarding his exact location when he observed eight men at a used car lot in west Dublin. The officer argued that revealing his location would compromise future surveillance operations by exposing the unit's tradecraft and methodology. The court ordered the exclusion of the public from evidence concerning six NSU members and prohibited the disclosure of their identities. It also ruled that the identities of the eight men arrested—Kevin Braney, Des Christie, Eamon McNamee, Hubert Duffy, William Jackson, Declan Phelan, John Brock, and Darren Murphy—could not be revealed. The men, aged between 33 and 55, pleaded not guilty to membership of an illegal organisation styled the Irish Republican Army. The prosecution case relies on the NSU's observations, items seized, the men's responses to questioning, and opinion evidence from Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Kirwan. The trial continues.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Court upholds privilege claim by surveillance garda over location. Charges or matters: membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA on March 29th, 2013. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

March 29th, 2013 Incident
2015-02-03 Publication

Case subjects

Unnamed accused

Accused

Charges: membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA on March 29th, 2013 (Alleged Or Contested)

Plea: Not guilty