A MAN who appeared in court yesterday charged in relation to making a false complaint against gardaí is the first person in the history of the State to be prosecuted under the relevant legislation.
Scott Ryan (25), who is in custody and has more than 30 previous convictions, was charged under section 110 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 at the District Court in Waterford yesterday.
It is alleged that Mr Ryan, from Waterford with an address at Duninga, Goresbridge in Co Kilkenny, provided false or misleading information regarding a member or members of the Garda in Waterford at an unspecified time and location in Waterford.
According to the section of the Act, a person who “provides to the Ombudsman Commission information that the person knows to be false or misleading” is guilty of an offence. A person found guilty of the offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to €2,500, or six months’ imprisonment, or both.
Mr Ryan will remain in custody until Tuesday. Judge David Kennedy adjourned the matter to June 5th next.
