A Sinn Féin councillor who accused gardaí of beating him up after his arrest in O’Connell Street, Dublin, was yesterday convicted of public order offences.
Matt Carthy (21), Ballyclose, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, who was elected last month to Carrickmacross UDC, had denied obstruction, breach of the peace and failing to move on.
The charges arose out of an incident beside the O’Connell Street taxi rank at 2.40 am on November 14th last.
He and three other members of Young Sinn Fein were arrested when one of them, Pearse Doherty (21), Waverly Avenue, Fairview, Dublin, called a garda investigating a nearby traffic accident an abusive name.
The garda demanded his name and address and when he refused to give it he tried to arrest him.
Carthy then intervened along with two other friends, Lyn Gallagher (18), Clogher Road, Crumlin and Francis Costigan (19), Bushfield Grove, Clondalkin. All four denied the charges and claimed they were beaten up by gardaí who knew they were members of Young Sinn Féin.
Judge Gerard Haughton convicted the four but because they were young and had no previous convictions he dismissed the charges under the Probation Act so they would not have a criminal record. Costigan, the only one who was working, is to pay £107 to the Garda Benevolent Fund.
Judge Haughton said he “totally rejected” claims that gardaí set upon them because they were members of Sinn Fein. “If that was the case, there would have been little point in any garda asking them to leave the area - they would have been arrested on the spot”.
Dublin District Court heard the three who intervened, including Carthy, were asked to leave the area a number of times while Doherty was being question but they refused to do so. They protested that Doherty's remark had not been directed at the garda at all but was the result of a "simple misunderstanding".
All four were then arrested and a Garda van arrived to take them to Store Street.