Complaint in Tallaght Garda station resulted in a suspended sentence

By Brendan Grehan

A MAN who was arrested in Tallaght Garda Station after he dropped in to make a complaint has received a four-month suspended sentence.

Albert Wall, aged 33, with an address at Deer Park Drive, Tallaght, pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with Garda Vincent Jaffray’s directions at Tallaght Garda Station on May 21, 2016.

Garda Jaffray told Judge Patricia McNamara that he had been on duty in the public office of the garda station at 12.40pm on May 21 last when Wall called in.

He said Wall wanted to make a complaint that he had been denied access to see one of his children.

Garda Jaffray said Wall produced the second page of an access order. He said he asked Wall for the first page but Wall told him there were no other pages.

Garda Jaffray said Wall became very abusive and there were other members of the public present who became perturbed at this.

He said he asked Wall to desist from his activity, but Wall continued to be abusive. Garda Jaffray said he then directed Wall to leave the public office under Section eight of the Public Order Act. Wall failed to comply with the direction and Garda Jaffray said he came from around the counter and arrested him.

Wall told the court that he had gone to the station to make a complaint about not gaining access.

Judge McNamara watched some CCTV footage from the station.

She found Wall guilty. The court heard that Wall has five previous convictions for failing to comply with a garda’s directions.

Wall’s counsel, George Burns BL, who was instructed by solicitor Padraig O’Donovan, said his client had previously worked for Eir and had studied business law and legal studies.

Judge McNamara said that while she understood that Wall may have been going through a difficult period at the time of the offence, it did not entitle him to behave in the way he did.

She noted that Wall has a number of previous convictions for failing to comply with gardai.

She sentenced Wall to four months in jail and suspended the sentence for 12 months.