A MUSIC teacher who claimed he was defamed, assaulted and unlawfully arrested after being wrongly suspected of shoplifting has settled his High Court action for damages against a supermarket chain, a security company and the State.
Enrien Lamcellari, an Albanian-born cellist who teaches at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, said he believed there was a racist element in his treatment.
He settled his High Court action yesterday against Dunnes Stores, its agent Monarch International Security Ltd, Harbour Road, Howth, Dublin, and the State/ Attorney General. The case was also brought against the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Group Four Securitas Ireland Ltd, Belvedere Place, Dublin, but the claims against those defendants were struck out earlier.
All the defendants had denied the claims.
The case was due to be heard before a jury and Mr Justice Paul Gilligan yesterday. However, following discussions, Michael McDowell SC, for Mr Lamcellari, told the court the matter had been settled and could be struck out. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Mr Lamcellari, Brighton Square, Dublin, had claimed he tried on a shirt in the Dunnes Stores outlet in the Swan Centre, Rathmines, Dublin, on March 28th, 2000, but it did not fit and he had returned it.
As he walked home, he claimed, a Garda van suddenly pulled up beside him and, after officers asked his nationality, they told him to get in. He was taken to Rathmines Garda station where a large crowd witnessed him getting out of the van.
He was told to remove his clothes down to his vest and trousers. A representative of Dunnes Store security checked his clothes and questioned him about his nationality and livelihood, he claimed.
The gardaí were physically rough and verbally aggressive and he felt he was being treated like this because he was Albanian, he claimed.