Paul Murphy and six men deny false imprisonment charges

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

Paul Murphy and six other men were on trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court over an anti-water charges protest in Jobstown, Tallaght. The proceedings were reported on 23 May 2017.

Paul Murphy, Kieran Mahon, Michael Murphy, Frank Donaghy, Ken Purcell, Michael Banks and Scott Masterson denied the charges. They were accused of falsely imprisoning former Tánaiste Joan Burton and her adviser Karen O’Connell by restricting their personal liberty without consent at Fortunestown Road on 15 November 2014.

Sergeant Michael Phelan told the court that gardaí formed lines to protect the women as they moved from a car to a jeep, but the lines disintegrated. He said he was struck in the back of the head by a can of Red Bull amid missiles thrown by the crowd.

Sergeant Phelan also said he saw Masterson striking the car’s boot with two open hands. Defence counsel Roisin Lacey SC said Masterson accepted that he was at the rear of the car, chanting political slogans and sitting beside it, but emphatically denied striking any part of the vehicle. She said video footage did not corroborate the sergeant’s account; he maintained that he had personally witnessed it.

Judge Melanie Greally discharged an absent female juror, leaving 11 jurors. The trial later finished early after a juror became unwell and was expected to resume the following day.