Westmeath-based Garda's 'horrendous' bicycle probe ordeal

Garda management have "serious questions to answer" over the investigation and prolonged suspension of a Westmeath-based member of the force for giving an elderly man an unclaimed bicycle to use during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

That's according to the Garda Representative Association (GRA), which has been commenting on a case that's attracted national attention over the last week.

An internal disciplinary hearing is understood to have cleared the Garda of any wrongdoing on Tuesday, March 5, more than three and a half years after his well-intentioned gesture morphed into a horrendous personal and professional ordeal.

"This case is an example of good, decent community policing, which is at the heart of what we do, and we've seen it completely blown apart here," Tara McManus, assistant general secretary of the GRA, told LMFM radio.

"We've seen the reputation of a long-serving member damaged, his honesty questioned, his livelihood threatened, and we think this case really highlights the disconnect that we feel is there between management and those on the frontline.

"They seem to have a policy of suspend first and ask questions later. This is very much overseen by Garda management and of course supported by the Commissioner as well," she commented.

The incident at the centre of the case happened in the early months of the pandemic, in May 2020.

The Garda in question, who has been a member of the force for the nearly 30 years, was friendly with a farmer in his 70s who was living alone and had been advised by his doctor to exercise more to help him with his blood circulation.

The Garda asked around about finding a bicycle for the pensioner, before eventually picking out an unclaimed bicycle from the 'lost and found' section of his station and giving it to the man.

The paperwork for the bike was not filled out by the Garda, who told the man he was loaning it to him during the lockdown period.

A person who saw the Garda taking the bicycle from the station reported the incident. A report on a suspected stolen bicycle was filed, and this prompted a criminal investigation by The National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI).

The investigation included in an early morning search of the Garda's home, by a team of six NCBI detectives, in June 2020 at a time when he and his family were in bed. The detectives also seized the Garda's phone.

"At the time a relative of his was dying, and that phone was his one source of contact with the relative, because this was during Covid when you couldn't go and see people in hospital," said Ms McManus.

"To have that done, and to have his life and his career put on hold, has been hugely damaging to that member, to his reputation, and to his sense of pride in how he does his job."

By April 2021, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had concluded that the Garda had no criminal case to answer in relation to the incident. However, he remained suspended for in excess of a further two years, while an internal disciplinary probe continued.

Late last year, the Garda returned to work but only on "restricted duties". Although the internal disciplinary hearing concluded last week, and exonerated the Garda, the process has still not formally concluded, meaning the Garda remains on restricted duties this week.

The board of inquiry which conducted the disciplinary hearing has 21 days to inform Garda management of its decision and the Garda can then be formally and fully reinstated.

Ms McManus pointed out that the NCBI, which was brought in to investigate the case of the Garda and the bicycle, normally investigates major crimes such as murders or serious sexual assaults.

"The resources of that unit were used to deal with something which was simply somebody forgetting to fill in paperwork," she said. "For us, it really questions the common sense and the proportionality that was used in this case."

The president of the GRA, Brendan O'Connor said it was not unusual to see Gardai being suspended for lengthy periods.

"Unfortunately, it is a very common occurrence. We see it across the organisation, and we have a significant number of members languishing on suspension, some of whom are in the same situation, who have no prosecution against them, have no criminal case to answer and the organisation is very slow to remove this," he said on Monday.