A Dublin garda who knocked down and killed a cyclist last Christmas and then left the scene without reporting the incident has been banned from driving for three years and fined £1,000.
Michael Martin, who is attached to the National Bureau of Crime Investigation (NBCI), appeared before Rathfarnham District Court on Wednesday last. He pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to remain at the scene of an accident and careless driving.
The case arose from an incident in which Mr Gerard O'Neill (35), from Clondalkin, was knocked down and killed while cycling home from work at 2.45 a.m. on December 21st last. Mr O'Neill's body lay at the side of the road for some time before it was noticed by a motorist who alerted the authorities. The incident happened near the M50 intersection and Newland's Cross, near the SDS Distributor Centre. Video footage from security cameras outside the centre were taken as part of the investigation into the incident.
Mr O'Neill, who was single and supported his elderly mother, had been cycling home from work along the Naas dual carriageway when he was struck and killed. Later that day, gardai from Clondalkin Garda station recovered a Garda squad car attached to the NBCI abandoned not far from the scene of the accident. Shortly afterwards, Martin was arrested at his home under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He was released on personal bail later that day.
Martin and a number of other officers were interviewed and a file sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Charges of failing to remain at the scene of the accident and careless driving were subsequently brought against the officer and these were heard at Rathfarnham Court on Wednesday. The case was not reported at the time.
According to senior Garda sources, the court imposed a three-year ban and a £1,000 fine on Martin. It is not clear how the sentence will effect his position within the force. The Garda Press Office issued a statement on the day after the incident saying that Garda Martin had been suspended from duty pending the outcome of the investigation of the incident.