A garda has gone on trial at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court charged with defrauding another member of the force through the sale of a car engine.
Det Garda John Ryan (36), Newton Park, Blessington, Co Wicklow, has pleaded not guilty to obtaining £260 from Garda Patrick Normile by falsely pretending he owned a Nissan Micra motor engine on or about August 1994.
The court was told yesterday that the engine had been seized during a Garda raid on a garage, led by Det Garda Ryan, and had been left at a shed in the yard of Rathfarnham Garda Station.
Garda Normile said the defendant mentioned that the engine was part of a car which had been stolen in Surrey, England. The car was insured by Direct Line Insurance and the defendant said he had bought the engine from the company. He asked if Garda Normile knew if anybody wanted to buy the engine.
Garda Normile told Judge Kieran O'Connor and a jury that he later casually mentioned this to his friend, Garda Brendan Cahill, who said he would buy the engine.
The witness said the defendant agreed to a price of £280 and he later transmitted the money from Garda Cahill to the defendant. Det Garda Ryan gave him £20 luck money back and he returned this to Garda Cahill.
He said that he did not become suspicious about the engine until March 1996, following an interview with a prisoner.
Cross-examined by Mr Erwan Mill Arden SC, defending, Garda Normile denied that he, himself, was the seller of the engine and he also denied that Garda Cahill bought and sold cars.
He agreed that the engine was to be placed in a vehicle owned by Garda Pauline Reid, who was Garda Cahill's girlfriend.
The trial continues today.