A man who lost his action for damages against the Garda and State is honest but suffers from a type of persecution complex, a High Court judge stated yesterday.
Mr Justice O'Donovan said a claim by Mr William M. Trent, of Tyrone Place, Inchicore, Dublin, had its roots in a 999 call made by Mr Trent on September 2nd, 1989, arising from what the man alleged was an attempted attack on him near his flat by cider-drinking youths.
Mr Trent had criticised what he considered was an inadequate Garda response to his 999 call. He alleged the Garda and the Garda Complaints Board had mishandled his subsequent complaints to them.
In his decision, Mr Justice O'Donovan accepted that gardai did respond to the 999 call but did not go into Tyrone Place.
The judge said he believed Mr Trent was "an honest man who, at all stages, was endeavouring to tell the truth but that, very often, his perception of reality differed from the norm".
Mr Trent had impressed him "as someone who suffers from a type of persecution complex, believing he is being victimised by persons in authority, and this attitude colours his sense of truth".
Mr Justice O'Donovan said that, in his view, Mr Trent had misinterpreted a visit by a Garda superintendent in September 1989 as a "not too subtle effort" to persuade him to abandon his complaint.
The judge said the superintendent's visit was to ascertain Mr Trent's intentions.
He rejected Mr Trent's assertion that he was intimidated or threatened.
Mr Justice O'Donovan said the superintendent completed a complaint form at Mr Trent's dictation. The judge criticised the superintendent for subsequently inserting the names of the two gardai about whom the complaint had been made without Mr Trent's knowledge or approval.
The superintendent had said he did this because it was his responsibility to furnish the Garda Complaints Board with as much information as possible.
The judge said the chief executive of the Complaints Board, Mr Sean Hurley, had given evidence that, from time to time, gardai did add information which had been omitted, for the purpose of assisting the board and speeding up the investigation of a complaint.
Mr Justice O'Donovan said Mr Trent had made two complaints to the Garda Complaints Board (which were rejected). The judge accepted Mr Hurley's evidence that he had inadvertently omitted to inform Mr Trent that the second complaint had been rejected.
The judge said he was satisfied that Mr Trent's complaint was properly investigated and that the board was entitled to come to the conclusion it reached.