Four gardaí and a retired superintendent, who are facing trial accused of over 40 counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice, have each been granted legal aid to cover the cost of a documentary junior counsel.
The junior counsel will manage what has been described as a considerable amount of documentation in their cases.
The five accused, who have all served in the Limerick division, are retired Garda Superintendent Eamon O'Neill, Sergeants Anne Marie Hassett and Michelle Leahy, and Gda Tom McGlinchey and Gda Colm Geary.
At the Circuit Court in Limerick, Judge Tom O’Donnell granted the application to have the extra junior counsel appointed which he was told would assist in the management of the cases.
He was also told that the court needed to be aware that the obtaining of electronic evidence will be a very significant issue in the case and that this is one of the pre-trial applications to be made to him in advance of the case.
Judge O’Donnell said he may have to consider sitting out of term time to deal with pre-trial matters and he asked that all the parties involved would use their best efforts to resolve matters of commonality and narrow the issues at stake that will be helpful and move this case on for all involved.
He put the case back to 26 June for the parties to come back to court and adjourned the matter until then.
