A jury was sent home for the weekend in the trial of a retired superintendent and four serving gardaí accused of unlawfully squaring away traffic offence summonses for motorists. Mr Hanahoe told the jury that the main reason for attempts to get the motorists off was Mr O’Neill’s friendship or close connection with the individuals — Mr Hanahoe said these people were not on trial. It was a case of “who you are”, said Mr Hanahoe, and that Mr O’Neill allowed this “preference” and his “friendship” with others to dictate “who ought to be prosecuted”. Mr Hanahoe told the jury:The evidence is clear: What was happening was preference, pure and simple, and the appropriate verdict on all counts is guilty. Mr McEnroy said because GNBCI’s first investigation failed to damage Mr O’Neill, it had pursued him in a “vicious” way.

Source: Irish Examiner January 23, 2026 20:02 UTC