Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2026: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-26
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Joe Flaherty (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

I dealt with that at the outset and I am dealing with this issue now. It is relevant to all sections of the Bill. The recent Limerick court cases involving serving members of the force, which led to their unilateral acquittal, cast doubts on the decision-making of senior management at that time, as did the famed Athlone case, where a serving garda loaned a bicycle to an elderly man during the Covid era.
These were not isolated cases and there are several instances of good rank-and-file gardaí being ostracised through the machinations of a managerial style that has no place in modern policing. There is no Garda station where we will not find rank-and-file members who are frustrated and disillusioned about how they have been treated, managed, sometimes sidelined and, at other times, humiliated. There has been a drip feed of court cases. One that is particularly relevant occurred last week at Longford Circuit Court where Edward 'Blondie' Stokes was jailed for 15 months after pleading guilty to a charge of endangerment, production of a slash hook, criminal damage-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-26