Shell to sea and Gardai & Rape remarks

Updated: 10:30, Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Gardaí confirm probe into Corrib remarks
Two separate investigations are under way following allegations that remarks of a sexually suggestive and disturbing nature were made by gardaí after the arrest of two women involved in an anti-Corrib Gas protest last week.

A recording where gardaí speak about rape in relation to one of two female campaigners they had just arrested was released by the protest group last night.

The recording is believed to have occurred inadvertently after gardaí took a video camera from the women.

The Garda Ombudsman Commission said it had not received a report about the incident in Co Mayo, but said it was in the public interest to investigate it.

A senior garda officer from outside the Mayo region has been appointed to carry out a separate investigation.

The two women had travelled to Mayo to support the Shell to Sea protest.

One of them had climbed onto a tractor; the other was filming her with a video camera.

Gardaí arrested both of them, put them in a patrol car and took them to Belmullet Garda Station. The camera was placed in a second patrol car.

Last night, Shell to Sea said the gardaí did not realise it was still recording.

When it was handed back to the two women it contained details of a conversation between the gardaí in the second patrol car.

A Shell to Sea spokesperson said the alleged remarks made by the gardaí were shocking and disturbing.

Sinn Féin had earlier requested that the commission launch an inquiry into alleged threats.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan has tonight re-emphasised the importance of combining professionalism with sensitivity and compassion in the investigation of sexual crimes.

In a statement, Mr Callinan said: 'I want the message to go out to the community and particularly to victims of sexual crime that they should report those crimes to gardaí who can take the necessary steps to vindicate and protect their rights and I want to assure them that they will be met with compassion and sensitivity.'

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0405/corrib.html#video

Listen to the audio here of the Gardai making rape remarks

Updated: 19:22, Thursday, 7 April 2011

The Garda Commissioner has apologised for the comments made by gardaí about women protestors they arrested in Mayo.

Martin Callinan said he was sorry for the offence caused to the community we serve and for the hurt and pain felt in particular by victims of sex crime.

The Commissioner also said he was deeply disappointed by the contents of the garda report which indicated that the words reported were indeed used and that the conversation did take place between members of An Garda Síochana.

It is believed the gardaí have acknowledged to the investigating Superintendent that carried out the inquiry that the comments were unacceptable and should not have been made.

The five gardaí involved are to be confined to office duties in Castlebar while an investigation into the incident is carried out.

The move was announced in the Dáil by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter this afternoon.

Minister Shatter said four of the gardaí would be moved to the station from their current posts and the fifth - who is already stationed in Castlebar - will remain there.

Mr Shatter confirmed that he received a copy of a report on the incident from the Garda Commissioner this morning and that a copy had been sent to the Garda Ombudsman Commission, which is also carrying out an investigation.

The Garda Ombudsman Commission is due to interview the women and the gardaí as part of its investigation.

Call for independent inquiry

At a press conference in Dublin this morning, the protest group 'Shell to Sea' called for an international inquiry into the policing of the Corrib protests.

That call has been backed by People Before Profit Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett.

One of the protestors, Jim Monaghan, also called on the Garda Ombudsman Commission to investigate his allegation that five years ago a garda made remarks that he claims were of a sexually abusive nature.

The Ombudsman refused to investigate the claim in 2007 because Mr Monaghan did not bring the complaint to the commission in time and because it felt there was no reason to extend the time limit.

Today, the Ombudsman has said it will not revisit the case.
Mr Monaghan of the Pobal Chill Chomáin group said there had been a loss of discipline 'on both sides'.

He said gardaí should be beyond such behaviour given their position in society.

However, he conceded that some protestors have been deliberately taunting gardaí.

Gardaí involved in the incidents this week should be afforded due process and presumed innocent until otherwise proven, he added.

Asked about allegations that subversive elements had been involved in the protest side, Mr Monaghan said he was not aware of subversives being 'actively used' to support the process but he did concede that 'there may be subversives on both sides of the fence'.

Also speaking at the news conference, Shell to Sea protest group Spokesperson Caoimhe Kerins criticised the Garda Ombudsman and the manner in which the office has responded to what she said were numerous complaints about garda activity in the area.

Jerry Anne O'Sullivan, who was arrested during a protest, said her name and address had been leaked to the media.

She said the words used by gardaí were horrific and added that the recordings are a reflection of the intimidation protestors have been suffering for years.