FOUR GARDAÍ are to be charged in relation to an incident in a Dublin flats complex where a man claimed a group of gardaí beat him with their batons after falsely imprisoning him.
The gardaí, three men and a woman, have been served with summonses and will appear before Dublin District Court next month.
All four are facing assault charges, while some are also charged with false imprisonment. The alleged incident took place at the Basin Street flats complex in Dublin’s south inner city on Sunday, February 17th, 2008.
A group of gardaí called to a dwelling in the flats complex and the victim has alleged he was falsely imprisoned and assaulted by the group.
The complainant’s family members were at the property at the time and it is understood some of the alleged assault may have been witnessed by the victim’s family.
The complainant is believed to have been involved in a row with a member of the force on the night of Saturday, February 16th, the day before the alleged group beating took place. The man has claimed that the alleged attack on him was linked to the earlier altercation.
The alleged victim complained to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission and four members of garda rank were suspended from duty by Garda Headquarters pending the outcome of the commission’s investigation. It was the first major case opened by the commission.