‘I was petrified’: Joan Burton’s adviser testifies in Jobstown case

A former adviser to then tánaiste Joan Burton has described the events in Jobstown in 2014 as one of the scariest experiences of her life.

Karen O’Connell told the trial of Solidarity TD Paul Murphy and others that protesters shouted “you bitch” and “you c**t” and “you f**king bitch I hope you die” at Ms Burton, when the two women found themselves trapped inside garda cars that were surrounded by protesters.

Mr Murphy, of Kingswood Heights, Tallaght, is accused of the false imprisonment of Ms Burton by restricting her personal liberty without her consent on November 15th, 2014, at Fortunestown Road, Jobstown, Co Dublin. He is also accused of a second charge in relation to the same offence against Ms O’Connell.

Also facing the same charges are: Kieran Mahon, Bolbrook Grove, Tallaght, and Michael Murphy, Whitechurch Way, Ballyboden, both of whom are Solidarity councillors with South Dublin County Council; Scott Masterson, a self-employed courier, of Carrigmore Drive, Tallaght; Mr Purcell, a precision operative, of Kiltalown Green, Tallaght; Frank Donaghy, a retired construction worker, of Alpine Rise, Belgard Heights, Tallaght, and Michael Banks, of Brookview Green, Tallaght, whom the court was told did not have an occupation that brought him into contact with the public.

All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Responding to Tony McGillicuddy BL, for the prosecution, Ms O’Connell described attending an educational awards ceremony at the An Cosán centre in Jobstown on the day in question.

Walking towards the church afterwards, where Ms Burton was scheduled to give a speech, a crowd of water protesters pushed in against them and she was hit with an egg. “It was in my hair and on my coat.” She could remember a bottle being thrown and an apple being thrown.

It was a very angry crowd and a very physical experience. It was not like any protest she had seen before, she said. Ms Burton was hit on the head with a water balloon.

When they later left the church by a side door, on garda advice, and rushed towards an unmarked garda car, the protesters came running towards them. There were about 200 protesters there, in her estimation.

Slogans

Placards were pushed up against the windows of the saloon car and the protesters were shaking the car and banging on its roof and screaming political slogans and personal abuse. Asked for examples of the latter Ms O’Connell said “f**king bitch”, “you c**ts” and “things like I hope you die”. That was the general tone of it, she said.

The garda car could not move because it was surrounded, and the two women were inside it for approximately 45 minutes. “I was petrified,” Ms O’Connell said when asked how she felt at that stage. Joan Burton was trying to calm her down. “I was very upset. I was crying. I was very fearful.”

Asked if she at that stage wanted to leave, Ms O’Connell said she did, but the protesters were stopping them. She recalled seeing Paul Murphy at the back of the car. “He was taking photographs with his phone and standing with the protesters chanting slogans.”

More people arrived and there were scuffles as the gardaí tried to move people so the car could reverse out from where it was parked.

Later the two women were escorted by gardaí to a garda jeep. They were surrounded by a “scrum of protesters” and she felt they were trying to get at them. “I was absolutely petrified,” she said. “I felt they were trying to get at us and if the guards weren’t there I don’t know what would have happened.”

At one point when moving between the vehicles Ms Burton started to lose a shoe and, Ms O’Connell said, she leaned down to get it for her. “I did not want her to have to walk with one shoe. I felt it was very undignified.” Meanwhile the crowd was “swarming around” and it felt like an “angry mob”. She was crying and hyperventilating. “I felt very, very fearful and very, very scared.”

Windscreen smashed

As she was getting into the jeep one protester grabbed the collar of her coat but a garda pulled the hand off her and she got into the back of the vehicle. Someone smashed the windscreen and she felt the protesters were trying to get in. Because it was surrounded, the jeep was only able to move very slowly. This lasted for approximately two hours.

At one stage she said she saw Mr Murphy, who had a megaphone and was standing at one side of the jeep.

“We were told that we were going to be slow-marched out of Tallaght. That there was an agreement.” However the jeep was repeatedly stopped. Cans of beans were being thrown at the gardaí, and eggs and bottles at the jeep. Members of the Garda public order unit arrived.

Protesters were shouting “c**t”, and “bitch” and “you ugly bitch how do you sleep at night”. She could hear the garda helicopter overhead.

Later they were told by the gardaí to get out of the jeep and run towards other vehicles, which they did. She was surrounded by gardaí and could see protesters coming towards them.

Responding to Sean Guerin SC, for Paul Murphy, she agreed that had she not been working as an adviser to Ms Burton at the time, she would not have been in Jobstown on that day.

Responding to Karida Nadoo SC, for Mr Mahon, she said she was a Labour Party member since she was in college and had been elected to its executive council as equality officer in 2009. She had taken part in Shell to Sea protests, and had visited Rossport on two occasions.

She agreed she had attended protests where there was an element of sitting down protest and the prevention of trucks going into a refinery. “We certainly didn’t deprive anyone of their liberty to leave.”

She agreed that people had been arrested during the Shell to Sea protests. Her involvement with the protests ended when she was appointed to her role as adviser to Ms Burton. She said she didn’t support the elements of the campaign that involved the damaging of Shell property.

Her cross-examination continues on Friday.