John Matthew Berry keeps defamation case in High Court

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

John Matthew Berry’s defamation case remained in the High Court after Ms Justice Marguerite Bolger refused the Garda Commissioner’s application to remit it to the Circuit Court on 8 December 2023.

The claim arises from a photograph of Berry placed on a Garda station bulletin board headed “Active Criminals”, which identified him by name and address. The judgment states that Berry is not and never was involved in crime. The Commissioner has admitted that he has no previous convictions, while continuing to deny that he was not involved in crime.

The judgment records that Noel Shannon, a tradesperson working unsupervised in the office, photographed the board and circulated the images on social media and WhatsApp.

Berry claims damages under headings including defamation, breaches of his constitutional and Convention rights, data-protection breaches and negligence. The Commissioner denies wrongdoing and disputes aspects of his claim.