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A PENSIONER FARMER prevented three armed plain-clothes members of a Garda drugs unit from gaining access to his home because he thought they were “thugs in hoodies”.
At Ennis District Court, 67-year old, Martin Danaher said that the gardai “looked like three thugs” and that they were looking for his son at Snipe Lodge, Knockagulla, Lisdoonvarna in August 2014.
Danaher said that two of the men were wearing hoodies with the third wearing a t-shirt when they called to his door.
Danaher said that he did not believe that the men – who arrived at the home in an unmarked black Ford Mondeo - were gardaí.
He said that Garda ID was shown “but this was at a distance”.
The actions of Danaher in refusing entry to carry out a search of the home formed part of the basis of gardaí refusing to renew the man’s gun licence this year.
However, Danaher is to get his gun back after Judge Patrick Duran upheld his appeal against the decision to revoke his shot-gun licence.
Judge Durcan said that he was sufficiently impressed about the doubts that Danaher might have had in his mind concerning the incident when the gardaí called to his home.
He said: “I know as someone who lives in the countryside myself, there is a need for people in the countryside to have a firearm, particularly for farmers, there is a need to have vermin controlled.”
Danaher said that he used the gun to control vermin and shoot wild dogs who attack sheep.
In evidence, Det Garda Trevor Shannon said that Danaher “told us we would not be entering his house” on 22 August 2014.
Det Shannon said that Danaher said that by “no ways or means would we be entering his residence”.
Det Shannon told the court that Danaher said that if gardaí wished to enter the house “you will have to put me down”.
He said: “It was said in a threatening manner and due to lack of assistance and location and the force I believe that would have been required, I made a decision not to execute the warrant and we returned to the garda station.
He said: “It was a very tense situation and at any time could have blown up. It was very volatile.”
Det Shannon said that he was there to execute a search warrant concerning a third party living at the house.
Danaher voluntarily handed over his gun to gardaí in January 2015.
This followed a separate incident at Danaher’s home that was investigated by Gardai but where the DPP recommended no prosecution.
Supt John Galvin said that the incident involved Danaher being trapped in a container which caught fire. He said that there was no allegation that Danaher used the gun or threatened to use it on any occasion. Supt Galvin said that he made the decision to revoke the licence as a result of public safety concerns.
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Would it have been that hard to bring one Garda in uniform
@Just One Mans Opinion: or a warrant. Even if they properly showed id he was perfectly within his rights to refuse access.
@Matt Connolly: “I made the decision not to execute the warrant”
They had one…
@Matt Connolly: Read the article, they had a warrant and decided to use discretion, in the USA they would have just put the door in and probably shot or tazered the guy.
They should have arrived in uniform. The man was correct.
Love the bit when the judge said the gun was needed to kill vermin.
Sounds like he was referring to the two legged type .
@Niallers:
“There’s a need to keep vermin controlled”.
Yet today the government gave the Templemore Garda Golf 10,000 euro.
The Guards can not do any thing right these days it would appear!
@Jamie Jj Tobin: ye…the 100s of searches every day are all done wrong…ALL the 1000s of traffic accidents are not properly investigated…all the Robbers and Rapists are never caught…how is it that the prisons are full but the Gardaí never do anything right or catch the criminals?
So three armed cop’s were stood down by a 67 year old man , Fair play to him . Cop’s trying to get a bit of pay back that’s all this was , And they failed miserably .
Given that he thought they were thugs in uniform i would say that its an accurate description given the situation in the force at the moment…ie maurice mccabe cover up
The headline is not too far off the mark I’d say. Ask Maurice!
I live in a rural area and when the Gardai lived in the community in which they served everyone recognized them on sight in or out of uniform. Also Gardai had a lot of local knowledge and could easily identify criminals and their movements with information from local residents who did and do not want criminals terrorizing their communities.
Now that be Gardai just arrive in squad cars from the nearest town with no local knowledge.
Not so smart policing.
They seem to be at a loose end nowadays,Denis O Brien has got all his metes installed,so they have to do something to pass the time
O, My God, I wish that I should have done the same as this man when they came with a door rammer to search the house. When my wife and I answered the door four of them pushed us away and went upstairs. When we asked if they had a warrant they said they did not and did not need one. They went around our home as if it were their own, they stopped us from entering other parts of the house. We were virtually held to house arrest. On the way out they said they were in the wrong house. I will remember this man in the next house search.
Good on ya.
“needed to kill vermin” – couldn’t have put it any better myself Judge
So then….thugs in uniforms would have had a better chance?
@Gerard J. Hannan:
Criminals have been know to impersonate Gardai in uniform as well.
They should have forced entry,and searched the premises for their suspect,and arrested the old guy for preventing the execution of the lawful warrant.They are the Guards and protect us without “fear or favour”
@Brian O Reilly: Were you living on Mars for the past 10 years.
@Brian O Reilly: So Gard O’Reilly,we should all follow your advice?
A fair description of many gardai.
John Loftus :Blackguard O Reilly
have your say