A GARDA sergeant is to stand trial accused of false imprisonment of a woman, perverting the course of justice and burglary in Dublin.

The Garda Anti-Corruption Unit has been investigating the activities of a particular Garda unit based in the Dublin region.

It has led to the arrest of four officers currently suspended from duty.

Ciaran Whelan, 51, with an address at Nenagh, Co Tipperary, who has worked out of the detective unit in Store Street station in central Dublin, was arrested earlier this month and charged.

He had been given station bail to appear before Judge William Aylmer at Dublin District Court today. 

He faces seven charges concerning alleged offences from June 19 until September 27, 2021.

He is accused of false imprisonment of a named woman at St John’s Road West, Dublin 8, on September 7.

It is alleged he did acts to pervert the course of public justice by making a false report between August 25 and September 15 to a named Garda Superintendent regarding a search of a male’s flat on Kenilworth Road, Dublin 6, on June 19.

He is charged with burglary at that flat by entering it as a trespasser to commit a theft offence.

He is also accused of perverting the course of justice on September 27 by amending data on the Garda Pulse System, about two incidents.

He is accused of twice perverting the course of public justice on August 28, by allegedly creating and printing a search warrant and information for a search that occurred on June 19 at the flat in Kenilsworth Road, Dublin, 6.

It is further alleged that on the same date he created an incident on the Garda Pulse system in relation to that search.

It is alleged on September 7, he trespassed at a basement flat at Mountjoy Square, North, Dublin 1, to commit theft.

The defendant, dressed in dark blue jeans, a navy jumper, and a black jacket, stood silently throughout his brief hearing and did not indicate how he would plead.

Garda Inspector Tom Cooney told the court that the defendant was arrested on the morning of March 11 at Irishtown station for the purpose of being charged. Judge Aylmer heard that the accused “made no reply to any charge”.

Inspector Cooney said the DPP directed “trial on indictment”.

This means the case will be dealt with in the Circuit Court, which, on conviction, has wider sentencing powers.

Defence solicitor Andrew Freeman said there was consent to an eight-week adjournment.

Judge Aylmer remanded the accused to appear again at the District Court on May 17 to be served with a book of evidence and returned for trial.

He is the second person to come before the courts since the probe commenced.

Garda Mark Duffy, 39, also appeared at Dublin District Court last week.

The Dublin-based Garda is accused of doing an act between August 28 and December 20, 2021, intending to pervert the course of public justice.

The officer with a Dublin 15 address is also accused of burglary. In this offence, he is alleged to have entered the same Kenilworth Road flat as a trespasser on June 19, 2021, to commit an arrestable offence.

He has not yet indicated a plea. He is also back in court on May 17 to be served with a book of evidence.