Five gardaí charged with assault arising out of last year's May Day "reclaim the streets" anti-globalisation protests in Dublin were yesterday sent forward for trial in the Circuit Criminal Court.
A sixth is to be tried in the District Court and June 24th and 25th were set for the hearing.
Officers Thomas Victory, Ronan Judge, Donal Corcoran, all Store Street, Dublin, Paul Daly and Fergus Hogan, both Pearse Street, Dublin, are all charged with assault causing harm to protesters on May 6th and will be tried on indictment.
Garda Keith Goff, Mountjoy, Dublin is charged with simple assault and is pleading not guilty for his trial in the District Court. A seventh officer, who is also to be tried on indictment, will appear in court next week.
Yesterday in Dublin District Court, books of evidence were served on five of the gardaí and they were returned for trial to the present sittings of the Circuit Court on their own bail of €250.
Judge James McDonnell was told that a compilation tape of video evidence in the case has already been handed over to the defence, although this had been done as a matter of courtesy and was not the full evidence the State would be presenting.
Lawyers for Garda Goff also sought the same level of disclosure in his case as will be given in the indictable matters to enable a full defence to be prepared.
The State was prepared to to do so, the court was told.
The Circuit Court cases are unlikely to proceed before the District Court case, Judge McDonnell was told.