Garda inquiry into handling of Jobstown investigation

Photo © Pat Flynn

Gardaí have begun an internal inquiry into their handling of the Jobstown case.

The news comes as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he would be worried if Gardaí had misled the court during the trial.

Since the acquittal of the Jobstown Six, they’ve raised questions about how three Gardaí all gave identical statements which was then disproven by video evidence.

Earlier this week Leo Varadkar said the acquittal did not mean their behaviour was acceptable, and that Joan Burton was “terrorised”.

But last night on RTE Varadkar suggested Garda headquarters should examine that evidence, and that he expected Noirin O’Sullivan to get involved.

He said he would be worried if it turned out Garda witnesses had ever misled a court, and that people should be able to trust what they say on the stand.

His comments led to a statement from Garda HQ, who said that on the day after the acquittal, they had begun a review into the policing response from a ‘lessons learned’ perspective.

The review, which will be led by an Assistant Commissioner, will identify issues and policies which need improvement in future.