THE OWNER OF the Strokestown Democrat whose editor had his phone seized by gardaí this morning has launched a legal challenge preventing officers from viewing information contained on the device.

Editor Emmett Corcoran had been covering the fallout of the eviction, which happened in December of last year. A number of vehicles were set alight and three of the people injured during the incident required hospital treatment.

The property in question had recently been repossessed and security personnel were guarding it at the time. The eviction generated widespread media coverage at the time.

Emmett Corcoran was woken at 8.30am this morning by gardaí who produced a warrant and said they were there to seize his phone. The editor initially refused citing journalistic privilege. However, it is claimed that gardaí threatened to search both his home, his office and also the home of his grandparents who live next door if he didn’t comply. 

One of the owners of the Democrat, Phelim O’Neill, described to TheJournal.ie how Corcoran’s phone was removed. He has claimed that the phone was seized after Corcoran refused to identify sources to gardaí. 

A High Court injunction was filed today restraining gardaí from going through the phone.

O’Neill, who is also a solicitor and has been providing legal advice to Corcoran on the matter, said: “He woke up at half eight this morning to find a large number of gardaí at his hall door with a warrant seeking his mobile phone.

“Mr Corcoran was previously interviewed by the gardaí on a voluntary basis in respect with happened at Falsk (eviction) in December.

“At that point they wanted access to Mr Corcoran’s phone. We said that the information on the phone had journalistic privilege and on that basis we refused to give it to them.”

Corcoran himself outlined these claims in an affidavit made to the High Court today.

O’Neill added: “The fact of the matter is all his sources were on that phone. All his contact numbers, text messages, emails.

“There were at least three garda cars there. They threatened to arrest him. Only for his wife was so distressed and his grandparents so distressed and that he didn’t want the houses effectively raided that it was seized. 

“He’s very distressed about it. Our paper was meant to go to print today. We have missed it because of all of our information was on Emmet Corcoran’s phone.”

Gardaí have arrested six people in total with regards to the Strokestown eviction. A number of them have been charged.

The case is due before the High Court tomorrow.

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