Courts / Tipperary / Report

Four trainee gardai to challenge dismissal for handcuffing fellow student

Date
2026-04-16

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Templemore

Summary

Four trainee gardaí have been granted permission to challenge their dismissals following an incident at the Garda College in Templemore, where they were accused of handcuffing a fellow student. The trainees, Rory Callaghan, David Hanley, Alan Kenny, and Darragh O'Connell, claim the incident was consensual and part of a light-hearted exercise. They argue that they were not given proper notice of the disciplinary meeting and were not afforded the right to cross-examine their accuser or challenge the decision to suspend their training. The trainees claim that the Garda Commissioner acted unlawfully by failing to apply fair procedures and that the decision to terminate their contracts was based on inadequate consideration of their training history and positive attributes. The High Court granted leave for judicial review, and the matter has been adjourned to May for further proceedings. The trainees deny allegations of inappropriate force and resistance from the handcuffed student, emphasizing that the exercise was consensual and part of a training scenario.