ACTION BY a bank to repossess machinery from a Co Tipperary contractor was described as “State terrorism” after its agents “wearing hoodies” broke into a neighbour’s property in the middle of the night to gain access to the equipment.

Independent TD Mattie McGrath claimed the “thugs”, acting for Bank of Ireland Finance, took the machinery from SOS Contractors in Drangan, near Thurles, and did not have a court order.

He said the “thugs”, accompanied by gardaí, broke into the neighbour’s property, upset stock, broke fences and removed a number of machines from the contractor’s premises while blocking CCTV cameras with strong lights.

Mr McGrath said the equipment they took was between four and six years old and “they were almost finished their payments”.

Minister of State Fergus O’Dowd said the implications of what Mr McGrath was saying about the Garda were “very serious”. It was his experience that if a Garda vehicle was involved, gardaí had always acted “always and only in conformity with the law”.

Mr McGrath said he was not blaming any individual officer but they were brought out by the bank without a court order. He held up a list of payments that had been made up to September this year, including “one for €5,000 paid on September 20th, which still had not been cashed by the bank by November”.

Describing the five men who repossessed the machinery as “nothing short of cowboys”, he said they “stole” other equipment not contracted to Bank of Ireland Finance, including a Massey Ferguson 6490, and “drove it back an hour later when they discovered it wasn’t the right tractor”.

They also took a hedge-cutter worth €20,000 which was with Woodchester Finance. “Now Woodchester have informed them that Bank of Ireland kindly passed this over to them and they’re keeping it as well.”

Mr McGrath said gardaí were in a vehicle and sat for 40 minutes while the “thugs” loaded up the equipment. The gardaí accompanied them around Tipperary for hours and the “five thugs” were in a repossessed vehicle with no tax or insurance disc. Describing the contractors as “of good standing”, he said it was one thing “to come during the day” but they came “in the dead of night” and it was “state terrorism”.