This article is from page 16 of the 2007-05-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
A MAN who called gardai “paedo- philes” did so because of a previous incident, a court has heard.
Maurice Walsh (57), of Finian Park, Shannon, appeared in court last week, charged under the Public Order Act.
Shannon District Court was told the accused called gardai “paedophiles and c****s” and accused one garda of setting him up for drink driving, on March 3 last.
Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said the accused’s wife is deceased. This date would have been her 50th birthday. He drank too much alcohol and became emotional, she said.
Judge Aeneas McCarthy asked, ‘“What’s his problem with gardai?”
Ms Godfrey replied, “I think it’s his problem with the world at large.”
At that stage the accused addressed the judge.
“What have I got against the gardai? Four years ago, I was inside in Ennis General Hospital, having two operations carried out and while I was having the operations carried out, gardai arrived at my house with a search warrant, on the pretence I was after stealing a Kawasaki motor- bike from Sixmilebridge,” he said.
The judge told him that was a mat- ter for the Garda Complaints Board. The accused said he had made a complaint, but the garda officer who investigated it found there had been no wrongdoing.
The case was adjourned for a Pro- ley 1h(O0 Ke) Lam