Tipperary referee among five Garda members on trial over alleged interference in prosecutions

Tipperary GAA referee Tom McGlinchey, from Newport, is among five Garda members on trial for alleged interference in fixed charge penalty notices, a case heard on Wednesday.

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The trial heard that a specialist Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) unit raided stations and homes in 2019, seizing mobile phones as part of a probe into alleged attempts to interfere with pending or potential prosecutions.

McGlinchey and four colleagues, all of whom have pleaded not guilty, are accused across 39 counts.

Evidence outlined how GNBCI investigators seized phones, executed search warrants, and interviewed several civilians on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice. None of these civilians have been charged.

The court heard that investigators suspected McGlinchey had acted as an intermediary between a senior officer and a prosecuting Garda.

The GNBCI team, comprising at least ten detective sergeants, was led by senior officers and briefed on the operation and the complexities of fixed charge penalty notices.

The trial continues before Judge Roderick Maguire and a jury of eight men.

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