The Garda superintendent who was appointed to head up a regional traffic division and was arrested on suspicion of drink driving just a few weeks later, was yesterday banned from driving for four years.
James Fitzgerald, who retired from An Garda Síochána shortly after his arrest earlier this year, yesterday pleaded guilty at Loughrea District Court to charges of failing to give a specimen of his breath and with dangerous driving.
Fitzgerald (54), with an address at Newgrove, Kilrickle, Co Galway was banned from driving for four years and fined a total of €750.
A charge of driving under the influence of an intoxicant and a second charge of dangerous driving were struck out.
After yesterday's court hearing, Fitzgerald told reporters he was not prepared to say whether or not he had been drinking on the date he was arrested.
But he admitted it was a very disappointing period in his life. Earlier the court had been told of an undercover investigation into him being carried out by his superiors two years earlier which had caused him ongoing stress.
"The past two-and-a-half years have been very difficult for me, my wife and my family," he said.
His solicitor, Tom Kelly, told Judge David Anderson that Fitzgerald had been off work for considerable periods over the previous two years and was not ready to return to work when he took up a position in charge of the Garda Traffic Corps for the western division.
Mr Kelly said his client had suffered enormous stress over the previous two years after discovering that his superiors had been carrying out an investigation into him without his knowledge.
This investigation was based on an anonymous letter, and a parish priest and three local people were also involved, Mr Kelly said.
He said his client was transferred from his post as a superintendent in Nenagh to Dublin without explanation and only became aware of the investigation after two months.
Mr Kelly said the investigation cleared his client of any wrongdoing but that it caused him "considerable stress" and he was unable to work for long periods.
The solicitor said his client was offered the position in the western traffic corps subsequent to being found "totally innocent" in the investigation.
Mr Kelly said Fitzgerald had been a superintendent in Nenagh for eight years and had headed up many successful major criminal investigations. He said the current "situation" had forced him to retire.
He said his client was under doctor's care on March 29th this year when he was stopped and arrested.
Garda Michael McGrath said they had received a complaint of a man driving dangerously on the main Galway-Dublin road near Craughwell.
The car had veered from one side of the road to the incorrect side before coming back into the correct lane.
Garda McGrath said that after speaking to the driver he formed the opinion that he had committed an offence under drink-driving legislation and arrested Fitzgerald.
The court was told that Fitzgerald, who was very distressed, was unable to give a specimen of his breath despite four attempts to do so.
Judge Anderson fined Fitzgerald €500 and banned him from driving for four years for failing to give a specimen.
He fined him €250 and banned him from driving for one year in relation to the dangerous driving charge.