A garda at the centre of an internal inquiry into the use of a Garda squad car to escort a rugby player to Dublin Airport last month has been disciplined, it has emerged.
The garda in question made a squad car available to take Toulouse rugby player Mr Trevor Brennan and his friend, Mr David Gerard, from Donnybrook to the airport after the Heineken European Cup Final on Saturday, May 24th.
A Garda Press Office spokesman confirmed yesterday that the "matter was investigated internally".
"It was dealt with at divisional level," he said.
It is believed a caution was administered to the garda under the terms of the Garda Síochána (Discipline) Regulations, 1989.
Controversy arose after Mr Brennan claimed in an Irish Times article of May 28th that a garda friend arranged for a squad car to take him to the airport so he would not miss his flight back to France.
He and Mr Gerard had been given permission to skip their post-match victory meal with the Toulouse team and went to Kiely's pub in Donnybrook instead, where they spent a couple of hours.
"We were due back in the airport at 8 p.m. and I was worried we wouldn't make it, but a garda pal made a squad car available for myself and David.
"We must have been quite a sight to any passers-by.
"Two 6ft 4in guys in the back of a squad car breaking our hearts laughing as we made it out to the airport in record time," he wrote.
The Green Party chairman, Mr John Gormley, who objected to the use of the car and who this week tabled a question to the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, about the matter, welcomed the move last night.
On Tuesday, Mr McDowell said he had been informed of the incident by the Garda authorities. "The circumstances have been investigated by a Garda investigator and the Garda sergeant concerned is being dealt with," he said.
A spokeswoman from the Department of Justice said yesterday that the Minister had nothing more to add and that "internal Garda discipline was a matter for the Commissioner".