An employee of a known Dublin criminal told a garda that a detective had an ongoing business relationship with his boss, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has been told. Sgt Patrick Normile told the court that he had been shocked to hear the allegations, as the detective had been complaining that he could not get a conviction against the criminal.
Sgt Normile also said that the detective later made an unjustified arrest of the criminal, a garage-owner, for dangerous driving, breach of the peace and assault with a car door.
It was the second day of the trial of Det Garda John Ryan (36), of Newtown Park, Blessington, Co Wicklow, who has pleaded not guilty to obtaining £260 from Garda Patrick Normile (since promoted to sergeant) by falsely pretending that he owned a Nissan Micra motor engine on or about August 1994.
In evidence, Sgt Normile said he was involved in passing the engine on to two colleagues and believed that the transaction was legitimate.
Cross-examined by Mr Erwan Mill-Arden SC, Sgt Normile said that the garage-owner and an assistant, Mr Joe Murray, were both arrested in March 1996, following a complaint of wrongdoing by a member of the public.
While he was being interviewed, Mr Murray alleged that Det Garda Ryan and the garage-owner had "an ongoing involvement".
Sgt Normile said he was shocked. "I heard John Ryan say this man was a criminal and said he couldn't get a conviction against him, and then I hear that he is having ongoing business dealings with him."
Sgt Normile said it was only at this point that he became suspicious about the sale of the Nissan Micra engine. "I was mortified, as I may have involved two other colleagues in handling stolen property", he added.
The witness said that he mentioned his suspicions to a detective sergeant in charge of Rathfarnham station and was told to check them out. He did not feel that it was appropriate to ask Det Garda Ryan about the allegations at that time. "My relationship with John Ryan changed after the interview with Joe Murray," he said.
He agreed that he had travelled in a patrol car with Det Garda Ryan after the allegations were made by Mr Murray and said he had been "in limbo" for a whole week. "It was an embarrassing situation, there's no doubt about that. I had grave suspicions, but not a shred of evidence, and I was waiting on the insurance company to give me information about what happened with the Nissan Micra engine."
In re-examination by Mr Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, Sgt Normile said that Det Garda Ryan had made some mention of a red Toyota Starlet to him. Det Garda Ryan was very annoyed and had said he would get the price of the car from the garage owner in question.
On April 5th, 1996, the witness had travelled in a patrol car with Det Garda Ryan, who spotted the garage-owner driving up a narrow road near Stackstown Golf Club. Det Garda Ryan reversed the car up the hill, and the garage-owner's car became caught between oncoming traffic and the Garda car.
Sgt Normile stayed in the patrol car and saw the garage-owner get out of his car and walk to the back of it. He had a conversation there with Det Garda Ryan. The discussion appeared to become heated and the garage-owner had motioned with his hands as if to say "I've had enough of this".
As the garage-owner was walking back to his car Det Garda Ryan caught him by the arm. He was placed in the Garda car and taken to Rathfarnham station. On the way, Det Garda Ryan mentioned that he had managed to get the garage-owner's licence back for him and could take it off him again. At the station Det Garda Ryan said that he had arrested the garage-owner for dangerous driving, breach of the peace and assault with the door of his car.
The trial continues.