The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has paid £20,000 towards legal costs incurred by a relative of its former general secretary in connection with an incident which took place before the man became a garda.
The incident, an alleged assault, occurred in 1989, a year before Garda John Ferry, nephew of the former GRA general secretary, Mr John Ferry, became a member of the force and therefore eligible to belong to the association.
The GRA, which is funded overwhelmingly by members' subscriptions but also partly by the State, decided last month to pay the costs to Garda Ferry under its legal aid scheme.
According to GRA sources, legal aid is normally paid to gardai who incur legal costs relating to cases arising from their duties. The association would be expected to assist in legal costs where a garda was being sued as a result of actions in the line of duty. About £250,000 a year is paid out under the scheme.
The costs in Garda Ferry's case arise from a High Court action in which he was sued by a Donegal man who suffered a fractured jaw and impairment of vision in his right eye when he was punched during a GAA club match in Donegal in April 1989.
Mr Sean Connaughton, from Glenties, Co Donegal, unsuccessfully sued Garda Ferry for damages in the High Court last November. The judge found that Garda Ferry had not inflicted the injury on Mr Connaughton but made no order as to costs, so both parties had to pay their own legal expenses.
In December the GRA legal aid committee recommended that the association "pay £20,000 in full and final settlement towards legal costs" incurred by Garda Ferry.
The recommendation was discussed briefly at the monthly meeting of the GRA's 26-member Central Executive Committee (CEC) last week. It is understood the proposal attracted some critical comment.
A GRA spokesman confirmed that it had been decided to meet part of Garda Ferry's costs arising from the GAA match but would make no further comment.
The hearing of the damages claim took place in the High Court in November. The court heard that the injuries sustained by Mr Connaughton took place during a senior club match between St Michael's of Dunfanaghy and Robert Emmets of Castlefin on April 8th, 1989.
Garda Ferry began serving as a garda in September 1990. He is serving in a Dublin station. His uncle served as general secretary of the GRA from 1989 until 1997.
Mr Connaughton claimed he was struck on the side of the head in an incident when the ball was 90 to 100 yards down field from him. He was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital where he had an operation for a fracture of the right cheek bone. Ms Justice Laffoy found that Mr Connaughton had been assaulted but was mistaken in identifying Garda Gerry Ferry as the perpetrator. The judge also found there were "unsatisfactory aspects" to the evidence of each of the parties.