I love the Garda !!!!!!!

Duggy747

This has sickened me to the core! The things some Gardaì can get away with is ridiculous, especially where I live. In my town all but bar 1 or 2 gardai are the most corrupt bastards you'll ever see. They are supposedly "protectors of the law" but are rather average pig-headed fuks in a uniform. They own the streets not given a solitary sh!t for anyone but the people they personally know or that come from a well-up family name. They are also prone to the ol' kicking the sh!t out of people in the cells (Something I was skeptical about until it happened to 2 of my best friends) I personally have never had encounters with them until a few weekends ago where a cop tried to do for "being on drugs" yet not having a shred of evidence nor a reason to suspect.

It was a Saturday night and me and my mates went to the chipper after the nite-club. Normally everyone stands out on the parking spaces right at the door of the chipper. Next thing one our town's finest hop out of their unmarked, picks me and 2 of my mates out of everybody and starts rather aggressively pushing us onto the path saying: "Get on that ****in' path now!!" We look at each together thinking "what a dick!" but forget about pretty quickly. Since we were pushed onto the path we were standing side-by-side at the kerb so I turn around to face them and we continue talking. Now I was balancing my toes on the kerb while facing my mates when next the cop grabs my arm and shouts: "Are you on drugs!" I was completely puzzled and said "What!?! No!" to which he said: "You're on ****in' drugs cuz you're actin' the maggot. I'm bringing you in for a drug search." So Kojack drags me to the unmarked, throws me in the back and he hops in the front. This is how it goes:

"You're some cheeky little f*cker you are!"
"What did I do!?!"
"I told you to get off the road and you disobeyed me. I know you're on drugs!"
"I'm on no drugs and you can search all you want, you won't find a thing!"
(He loses the plot altogether)
"WHO THE F*CK ARE YOU!?!"
I tell him
"I'm going to make sure I have you done!"

Anywho he brings up to the station and I'm brought into a room with 6 gardai. Kojack then, in his top-notch etiquitte:

"This young man has been 'invited' (INVITED, mind you!) in for a drug search as I found him standing in the middle of the road obstructing traffic....."
"I was nowhere near the middle of....."

He then puts his head RIGHT up to mine and says: "Are you calling me a liar?" I didn't say anything back and then I was given a book to sign acknowledging I was being detained.

"Sign your name like a good boy."
"I want to see my rights."
"Just sign the f*cking thing."
"I'm signing nothing without seeing my rights."

Another garda gives me the sheet with my rights and then Kojack starts going into it then:

"That's it, you think you know it all don't ya? You know more than us! F*ckin' youth!"
"I know not to get falsely arrested anyways!"

I finish reading and then I say:
"Right, I'll sign that when you find drugs on me."

He did not like that.

"What do you do for a living!?!"
I tell him how I just finished college and I'm on work experience and then this is where he pisses me off

"Well I hope you're happy cuz I control your oppertunities now, they won't be looking so bright you little sh!t! Now, off with the jacket and remove your belongings!"

He goes through everything and after about 15 minutes he takes a big breath, knowing he had nothing. Then he stands up, tells me to take my stuff and then plants this:

"Were you drinking?"
"Yea?"
"Good, becuase I'm giving you a summons on intoxication."

I love the Gardaì, don't you?

highdef

What a prick!!! The ombudsman will be hearing from you soon, I bet!!!

Brow

Out of curiousity, where did this happen?

Duggy747

In Co. Roscommon

drdre

I love the gardai?

Lorax

I would well believe it. But however you will find the majority of people on boards are those who sit behind a computer all day and have no real experience dealing with the gardai to see the type of people they actually are. Think the gards are all angels who could do no wrong.

Corruption and cell beatings are very common and all I will say is your lucky you werent beaten up and killed like poor Terence Wheelock

http://www.swp.ie/socialistworker/2006/sw257/sw-257-4.htm

or the perfectly healthy foreign guy who "died" in a cell in cork a few weeks ago. Or the countless times people have been beaten/killed in cells and no-one has ever been brought to justice for it.

DarkJager

Not sure if you posted here looking for advice or just to vent some anger but I'll give you my 2 cents:

If the summons arrives and your taken to court, then explain exactly what you've told us above. You should also contact the Garda Ombudsman and make an official complaint against the conduct of this Garda. We really don't need wannabe Robocops like him on the street.

LegacyUser

'If he does make a complaint against a Garda then that garda will make his life a hell for next few months, Gardai in ur town won't let u forget it, and they will all be on ur back. U could end up a lot worse off than u are now. Im not saying u should let it go but seriously give it some thought before u do anything. A lot of gardai at the moment are power tripping, i know quite a few, and they have definately changed from when I first knew them'

Duggy747

Actually I completely forgot that Kojack (the same cop) pinned me against a wall last year for "looking at him funny". The thing was I hadn't a clue what he was on about and finished off with "Do it again and you'll be sleeping in a cell!"

Bastards get away with everything! They were brought to court for being in a pub after-hours (off-duty, obviously) but strangely the case was dropped..........hmmm.

The CCTV of the chipper covers the scene....and I'm just having a rant!

whassupp2

from the way you describes the chipper, i had a feelin it was ros'. Morellis??

Duggy747

Morelli's alrite but not in ros

whassupp2

i think i know what town ur on bout but I dont think i shud say.
Thats outrageous whats goin on.

Brow

Here's my opinion. Garda in Dublin are grand. Seen a hell of a lot of more good out of them than bad. Thats from working in a hospital and seeing them nearly every hour bringing in some case. Also other incidents from being in town has caused me to have a certain respect for them.

Now whenever I leave Dublin, any contact with Garda I tend to bring down to a minimum just from stuff i've witnessed myself and hearing stuff like this. The lads i've seen in Cavan for instance are on such a power trip its unreal. Real sherrifs.

WindSock

Hmmm, I wonder if this is because Gardai in Dublin are Culchies and vice versa?

PeakOutput

damn man thats bad id defo be reporting him to the ombudsman and personally id let him know im doing it aswell but that might not be a good idea for you

iv only had good experiences with gardai(as much as an experience with the law can be anyway) but there is no doubt this stuff goes on and while i know ill sound like a jakean or whatever i reckon its much more common down the country than in dublin

Lorax wrote:

I would well believe it. But however you will find the majority of people on boards are those who sit behind a computer all day and have no real experience dealing with the gardai to see the type of people they actually are. Think the gards are all angels who could do no wrong.

hahahaha

Corruption and cell beatings are very common and all I will say is your lucky you werent beaten up and killed like poor Terence Wheelock

slight exageration and overreaction there mate get a grip

http://www.swp.ie/socialistworker/2006/sw257/sw-257-4.htm

agenda much??? im not saying any of that did not happen but if the socialist workers party cannot even proof read their own article how much other inaccuracies and mistakes are in the article

Or the countless times people have been beaten/killed in cells and no-one has ever been brought to justice for it.

id love to see the "countless" other news stories there is definetely an element of bad gardai and it needs to be clamped down on and i think the ombdsman will go a long way to solve it but you make it sound like uganda less hyperbole more facts would do everyone a world of good

PeakOutput

boreds wrote:

Hmmm, I wonder if this is because Gardai in Dublin are Culchies and vice versa?

i used to think that aswell..........i thought they assigned dubs to the country for the first while and vice versa but apparently its not the case anymore as i saw an old school mate on the beat in town the other day and he would be just out of templemore

duckmusic

Write up a report (similar to the one above, only more formal) and then send it to the Garda Obudsman.


150 Abbey Street Upper, Dublin 1


I wouldn't let that lie. We will soon see who controls who's career prospects

Jumpy

Duggy747 wrote:

Actually I completely forgot that Kojack (the same cop) pinned me against a wall last year for "looking at him funny".

Sorry there, but can you expand on this incident? Otherwise your credibility has just gone out the window. Have you been brought to the station or are in some way known to the gardai?
The quoted statement has basically said you have had (a) previous encounter(s) with this guy.
As much as I would love to believe what you have just said here, I actually dont.

FlutterinBantam

heh heh... strange how peoples accounts colour peoples judgements!!

i would have said you were acting the bollox outside the chipper,like the cops see 7/24, and you got a bit stroppy like the cops see 7/24.

It wasn't your first brush with the law either from accounts, but it's only my opinion and I havn't too much experience in these things;)

Elessar

That's absolutely sickening. Made my blood boil just reading it. Indeed an awful lot of gardai are on power trips, it's crazy. There are of course a lot of genuine, decent people in the force but in the last few years the amount of corruption and reports of same has risen dramatically. But what can you do?

I doubt you will get anywhere with the ombudsman. It's only a face for the public, you have no evidence against the guard in question and the ombudsman will always take the word of the gardai over yours.

Jumpy

Elessar, I really would not take this guy at face value.
His account makes him seem far too innocent.

skywalker

Guards are just like anyone else, You get assholes in any profession. Unfortunately they have more power to **** with people than your average asshole.

A mate was robbed was robbed by a junkie a few years back while working in a phone shop, and the guard who eventually took control of the case really took a dislike to my mate, despite him being the star witness, not the perp.

One particular day he couldnt come up to meet the guard as arranged to go over his statement, so the guard went & got a warrant for obstruction of justice(I think, or something very similar) & went to my mates new job (he'd left the previous one for fear of junkie reprisal because he was testifying against him) & made a point of arresting him as publicly as possible in front of his whole shop. Put him in cuffs & into a squadcar & drove off with the sirens blazing.

Very tough to trust guards after something like that happening to you.

gazzer

OP.. can you get a copy of the CCTV for that time that the incident happened.. Surely that would colaborate your story if you are going to bring it further???

AlmightyCushion

Why didn't you tell me this on the train on Sunday :mad: See if you can get the cctv tape off the chip shop. It won't show what went on in ht egarda station but it will show that you weren't in the middle of the road. Write up a report and send it too the Ombudsman like said above. Bring the fúckin' cúnt down Duggy. The main reason this keeps happening is because people just say "fúckin' w@nker" and shrug it off. If yerr man gets a rake of complaints about this sort of thing, something might get done (that's a very big might) even if he's just told to chill out and stop being such a cúnt.

Duggy747

Jumpy wrote:

Sorry there, but can you expand on this incident? Otherwise your credibility has just gone out the window. Have you been brought to the station or are in some way known to the gardai?
The quoted statement has basically said you have had (a) previous encounter(s) with this guy.
As much as I would love to believe what you have just said here, I actually dont.

I'm not known to the Gardaì (probably am now), he didn't know my name or where I lived and since my cousins live up the street he assumed that was my family (everybody knows my uncle but not my father )

Writing about the first piece I was just enraged thinking about it and thus I never thought about adding the encounter from last year (or maybe it was 2). The reason I did was to give ye an idea of what sort of character he is. I wouldn't expect ye to fully believe it as you had to be there or at least know about the cops and their reputation.

Elessar

Jumpy wrote:

Elessar, I really would not take this guy at face value.
His account makes him seem far too innocent.

Irrelevant. No gardai should act in this manner towards anyone, "stressed" or not.

Mitzy

Elessar wrote:

That's absolutely sickening. Made my blood boil just reading it. Indeed an awful lot of gardai are on power trips, it's crazy. There are of course a lot of genuine, decent people in the force but in the last few years the amount of corruption and reports of same has risen dramatically. But what can you do?

I doubt you will get anywhere with the ombudsman. It's only a face for the public, you have no evidence against the guard in question and the ombudsman will always take the word of the gardai over yours.

The Omdubsman is a completely separate impartial organisation. Why would they take the word of the gardai over the person making the complaint? If the complaint is upheld the garda in question will be in trouble.

grumpytrousers

Duggy747 wrote:

Bastards get away with everything! They were brought to court for being in a pub after-hours (off-duty, obviously) but strangely the case was dropped..........hmmm.

that wouldn't happen to be a pub accross the road from the church that may or may not have been operating without a license, would it?

sadly, that was the reason the charges, if this is the case, were dropped...if a location isn't a licensed premises, then the people in there aren't breaking the law..

anyway - sounds like you got a right doing, and even if you are 'known' to the gardai, there's no right for 'em to treat you like that. If you had a record, that'd be one thing, you don't. like others have said here, trying to win on this will be pointless, but that's not a good enough reason not to complain to the ombudsman...

redsauce

Mmmmm......guards are hot! Love the uniform.....does it for me BIG TIME!!! Slap the cuffs on me!

AlmightyCushion

Jumpy wrote:

Elessar, I really would not take this guy at face value.
His account makes him seem far too innocent.

I've known duggy for the past three years. I'd say the most he was up to was a bit of jokin' around with his mates (don't know any of them so can't vouch for them) as anyone else would be outside the chip shop after a few pints in the pub.

Jumpy

skywalker wrote:

Guards are just like anyone else, You get assholes in any profession. Unfortunately they have more power to **** with people than your average asshole.

A mate was robbed was robbed by a junkie a few years back while working in a phone shop, and the guard who eventually took control of the case really took a dislike to my mate, despite him being the star witness, not the perp.

One particular day he couldnt come up to meet the guard as arranged to go over his statement, so the guard went & got a warrant for obstruction of justice(I think, or something very similar) & went to my mates new job (he'd left the previous one for fear of junkie reprisal because he was testifying against him) & made a point of arresting him as publicly as possible in front of his whole shop. Put him in cuffs & into a squadcar & drove off with the sirens blazing.

Very tough to trust guards after something like that happening to you.

*coff* bull**** *coff*

While I think the Gardai in this country are useless, they are still monitored. If this were true, the gardai in question would be TORN APART by the judge, and his career cut very short by his superiors. Not making a statement at a prearranged time resulting in Obstruction. What a crock.

Secondly, his chances of obtaining an arrest warrant for that? Nil.

Jumpy

AlmightyCushion wrote:

I've known duggy for the past three years. I'd say the most he was up to was a bit of jokin' around with his mates (don't know any of them so can't vouch for them) as anyone else would be outside the chip shop after a few pints in the pub.

Honestly though, get him to adjust the statement a bit, there is such thing as being too innocent man.

ronanp

The real problem here is that the gardai can get away with this, because in this country there'll always be enough ****in eejits out there to assume that even though everything they've heard is to the contrary, the gardai must be right. Like FlutterinBantam and Jumpy.

Duggy747

AlmightyCushion wrote:

I've known duggy for the past three years. I'd say the most he was up to was a bit of jokin' around with his mates (don't know any of them so can't vouch for them) as anyone else would be outside the chip shop after a few pints in the pub.

That was the thing, I'd understand IF he had a legit reason to pull me but I was litterly at the kerb with me 2 mates. I always thought that he assumed I was pulling the piss outta him for being at the kerb.

Anywho AlmightyCushion I was full sure I told you, I told Frank......I think!

AlmightyCushion

Jumpy wrote:

Honestly though, get him to adjust the statement a bit, there is such thing as being too innocent man.

I wasn't there so how do I know if he's lying or not. For all I know he was attacked by a dinosaur in a bathing suit after the guards let him go. All I'm saying is he's not the scumbag type that warrents the attention of the guards and wouldn't exageratte a story just to make him look like a poor defenseless victim.

Jumpy

Elessar wrote:

Irrelevant. No gardai should act in this manner towards anyone, "stressed" or not.

You took that wrong, I was saying his account of what happened is far too biased towards himself and against the guard. My automatic reaction is scepticism, whether it be the truth or not.

skywalker

Jumpy wrote:

*coff* bull**** *coff*

While I think the Gardai in this country are useless, they are still monitored. If this were true, the gardai in question would be TORN APART by the judge, and his career cut very short by his superiors. Not making a statement at a prearranged time resulting in Obstruction. What a crock.

Secondly, his chances of obtaining an arrest warrant for that? Nil.

I dont really care whether some randomer believes me. I dont have an agenda or a reason to lie.

Jumpy

ronanp wrote:

The real problem here is that the gardai can get away with this, because in this country there'll always be enough ****in eejits out there to assume that even though everything they've heard is to the contrary, the gardai must be right. Like FlutterinBantam and Jumpy.

Yeah "fight the power".

Go you.

imeatingchips

there's always going to be some that are bent as s-hooks though isn't there? the proverbial few bad apples.

A problem I've found with an awful lot of them is they think they they're so much superior to the man on the street.

I got started on by one as well once - pushing me round with his head and all that. I wouldn't mind but I was the one who called them. the bollix. I only got treated like a human by them after I got a solictor and then it was all "well mister x, there was a lot of confusion, tempers were flared blah blah are you off anywhere nice on holidays this year". w@ankers. they came in ready to batter anyone and everyone.

and i know lads now in the gardai who [edit - removed something - probably not best to say that] yet theyre the first to voice their opinions on knackers and scumbags.

but i say nothin - cos its dead handy to know a garda!!

AlmightyCushion

Duggy747 wrote:

That was the thing, I'd understand IF he had a legit reason to pull me but I was litterly at the kerb with me 2 mates. I always thought that he assumed I was pulling the piss outta him for being at the kerb.

Anywho AlmightyCushion I was full sure I told you, I told Frank......I think!

No you didn't but you'd tell Frank :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:. Man I thought we were friends.

Kingp35

Jumpy wrote:

Sorry there, but can you expand on this incident? Otherwise your credibility has just gone out the window. Have you been brought to the station or are in some way known to the gardai?
The quoted statement has basically said you have had (a) previous encounter(s) with this guy.
As much as I would love to believe what you have just said here, I actually dont.

How exactly has his credibility gone out the window? Because one guard on a power trip seems to have taken a fancy to him? There are bad guards all over the country, Dublin as well and I have had a few run ins with them before over certain things they have done.

One quick example was when I was walking home with my mate one night when there was a drunk guy that was lying on the path and his mates were helping him up. A guard comes flying in and rips the drunk guy off the ground and really smashed him against the wall. This was far too much force and I said it to him. He didnt like that at all and started giving threatening to arrest me and my mate under section blah blah. I asked him to quote me that section and he couldn't do it. He quickly rang in back up to arrest me and my mate when 2 squad cars come flying down the road. It got interesting then as a big crowd of people started sticking up for me and my mate. The guards knew they were ****ed because everyone saw that the original guard was too violent and so they let us and the drunken guy go.

Point is dont let a guard on a power trip mess you around. Make a complaint, you did nothing wrong and he shouldn't have done what he did.

Duggy747

Jumpy wrote:

You took that wrong, I was saying his account of what happened is far too biased towards himself and against the guard. My automatic reaction is scepticism, whether it be the truth or not.

You're right to be skeptical but that's the honest truth, word-for-word. You don't forget an incident like that and it's pretty much second nature for stuff like that to happen in my town.

ronanp

Jumpy wrote:

Yeah "fight the power".

Go you.

Eh?

Who's fighting what now?

Mr. Incognito

I have to tell a story that happened to a mate of mine. He was walking down Quay street hammered one night and where the road crosses he put up his hand to thank the car for stopping. It was a squad car and the charged him with, no joke, directing traffic!
He got his fine and about a month later we were smoking rollies outside the cellar. One of the lads thought we were smoking joints and he was drunk as a skunk. Two cops came aroung the corner and he pulled the rollie from my mates lips and ran off down the street with it. No more said the cops arrested him on the spot and dragged him into the cellar in cuffs to get all our bags. They interrogated him down in the station asking him who his dealer was and why our other mate ran away. They searched all our bags and then in the morning when they had found nothing charged him on a trumped up charge of being drunk and disorderly. Now this was the second time he has been screwed over so his father hired a barrister to defend the case. We were all there as witnesses and it was a classic moment. The court was plodding along, and the garda got up and started spouting acompletely fabricated story about how my mate was drunk and in danger of falling of the kerb. When the barrister got up to cross examine her she was in shock. She didn't know that the case was going to be contested as rarely happens and in fairness the barrister turned her inside out.
Barrister "So my client was drunk and falling into the street"
Garda "Yes"
Barrister" So you were called to the scene by the bouncers?"
Garda "yes"
Barrister "Because of my client?"
Garda" No there was a fight"
Barrister" So how did you see my client whilst you were looking at the fight"
Garda" The bouncer pointed him out"
Barrister" So you didn't see him"
Garda: Silent
Barrister" Lets move on, so you arrested him for being drunk and then what did you do.
Garda " We went in and got the bags"
Barrister "So you paraded my client through the bar in handcuffs to get the bags
Garda "No"
Barrister, "Then how did you know which bags to get"
Garda" He described them"
Barrister, pause "I see, and why did you take the bags exactly"
Garda" Pardon"
Barrister" Well, you arrested him for being drunk why did you go take his and his friends bags that my clients supposedly described in such great detail, described in such great detail for a man that was falling into the street 5 minutes earlier
Garda" Well he asked for his......bag" (Laughter in the court)
Barrister "His bag, really, so why did you take his friends bags too?"
Garda "He asked for their.........his bag" (Laughter in the court)
Barrister "I see, what if I told you that I have witnesses in this court that will tell how you arrested my client on suspicion of smoking a joint, a mistaken suspicion as it turned out and paraded him thorugh the bar in hand cuffs to take his and his friends bags"
Garda " We arrested him for the safety of himself and others" (This is what it says in the legislation and she was repeating this every time she got stuck"
Barrister" And were you there when he was being interrogated"
Garda "No"
Barrister" And why was a drunk man being interrogated exactly?"
Garda: Silent (Laughter in the court)

My friend was then cross examined by the senior garda who acts on behalf of the prosecution. That was also hilarious. He was trying to mimic the barrister but he was just plain stupid. He would ask a question and fix my friend with a hateful glare as if he was going to scream "I'm guilty" Real old school.
Garda "So how many pints had you"?
Friend "6"
Garda "Could it have been seven"
Friend "No it was 6"
Garda "How can you be sure?"
Friend" Cos I only had thirty euro in my account to spend and that's 6 pints and chips" (Laughter in the court)
Garda "And do you make a habit of standing in front of cars, a few weeks ago perhaps"
Friend "Well I was here a few weeks ago charged with directing traffic"
Barrister "Objection your honour, prior record cannot be entered"

Judge, "I'm dismising this case"

Applause in the court-room. The Garda didn't even apologise. She was bulling. She put on her hat and stormed out.

In short, the guards lie through their teeth. We all know it happens, but people don't want to go into open court and put their word against a guar. They don't want the hassle because the next time you're out for a pint they'll stick you to the wall again. They can victimise you that way.

Mr. Presentable

boreds wrote:

Hmmm, I wonder if this is because Gardai in Dublin are Culchies and vice versa?

It's because a Garda is only sent to some s***hole down the bog if he's a c**t.

Important. These are not my terms, but are what they regard the punishment terms to be.

A good cop is not sent to Achill, if you will.

digitally-yours

ronanp wrote:

The real problem here is that the gardai can get away with this, because in this country there'll always be enough ****in eejits out there to assume that even though everything they've heard is to the contrary, the gardai must be right. Like FlutterinBantam and Jumpy.

I believe that you are right

why is he a free man ? why he hasent been prosecuted ?

you cant have it both ways . Arrest some one and then release someone

its not a ****ing joke .Its peoples real life. careers ,families have been ruined because of these mistakes

Jumpy

I wont quote SetantaL because its very long, but this is sort of what is behind my scepticism.
The gardai do not have to be particularly intelligent to be in the gardai (not stupid mind you, it just doesnt need a doctors IQ)
However, trumped up stupid charges are never going to get passed by the judge. They are extremely smart and have had had countless cases of bull**** like this put in front of them. A dismissed case reflects very badly on the gardai and their superiors would not tolerate it for long.

Duggy747

It's pretty damn hard to get a bad garda done too, believe me, countless amount of times I've heard case thrown out the window. Mainly because of the person's criminal record which is used against them over & over, and if the case fails.........well, you're pretty much better off skipping town cuz they'll monitor ya, drive slowly beside you as you're walking, pick you out of a crowd pretty f*ckin' quickly, etc. I see this sh!t all the time.

patrickolee

Jumpy wrote:

I wont quote SetantaL because its very long, but this is sort of what is behind my scepticism.
The gardai do not have to be particularly intelligent to be in the gardai (not stupid mind you, it just doesnt need a doctors IQ)
However, trumped up stupid charges are never going to get passed by the judge. They are extremely smart and have had had countless cases of bull**** like this put in front of them. A dismissed case reflects very badly on the gardai and their superiors would not tolerate it for long.

I wouldn't be so sure... he may have been convicted if hadn't had the skills of the barrister on his side, which most people wouldn't bother forking out for a case at that level.

Jumpy

If you dont mind me asking, was he convicted for the "Directing traffic" charge?

Mr. Incognito

I wont quote SetantaL because its very long, but this is sort of what is behind my scepticism.
The gardai do not have to be particularly intelligent to be in the gardai (not stupid mind you, it just doesnt need a doctors IQ)
However, trumped up stupid charges are never going to get passed by the judge. They are extremely smart and have had had countless cases of bull**** like this put in front of them. A dismissed case reflects very badly on the gardai and their superiors would not tolerate it for long.

This naiveity is exactly why i posted. The first time he was up for directing traffic as he put his hand up at a zebra crossing to thank the squad car for stopping. Thi is the stupid stuff that Gardai get away with and lie through their teeth in the dock up and down the country week after week. Sure it won't stand up if you have 1000 euro or more to hire a barrister, but if he hadn't gotten his father involved what hope had he. Everyone is afraid of the guards.