Michael Murphy on trial for false imprisonment charge

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

Michael Murphy was one of seven men on trial charged with falsely imprisoning Joan Burton and her assistant during a protest in Jobstown on 15 November 2014. All seven denied the charges. The proceedings were reported on 29 May 2017.

The jury heard that Michael Murphy was arrested and questioned by gardaí on 9 February 2015. During his interviews, he was shown video footage of the protest.

Asked about the rights of Joan Burton and her aide not to be unlawfully detained, he told gardaí that the videos suggested those rights and the right to protest were balanced quite well on the day. Trial evidence was continuing when the report was published.