Jury finds superintendent used reasonable force in arrest of John Bowe

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

A High Court jury found that Det Supt Rory Sheriff used reasonable force when arresting former garda John Bowe after a car chase in rural Wexford in 2014. The finding came at a second civil trial, after the first jury failed to reach a conclusion in November 2025.

The jury reached a majority verdict after four and a half hours of deliberation in the eight-day case. Bowe had claimed Sheriff wrongfully struck him with a baton and that he suffered injuries; those claims were denied. The judge awarded costs to Sheriff’s legal team for both trials, with the award stayed pending any appeal.