Call for investigation into garda encounter with homeless man

Homeless campaigner Fr Peter McVerry has called on the gardaí to undertake an investigation into a video which appears to show a garda spraying something on a handcuffed homeless man on Henry Street.

The priest told The Irish Times he found the video "absolutely shocking" .

The video was filmed by Philip Campion, a student, last Friday, March 13th.

Speaking to The Irish Times, the DIT student said he came across the scene as he was making his way home from college. Something about the scene "didn't look right" and he began filming it on his phone.

Mr Campion (20) said the garda appeared to be trying to move the man who was in a sleeping bag and lying down in a doorway on Henry Street.

In the video the man who appears handcuffed attempts to turn around, the garda pushes him back and appears to spray something into the man’s face. The garda then puts his foot on top of the man’s body.

According to Mr Campion, the homeless man’s eyes were “all red and bulging and he was moaning.”

By then a crowd of “about 25-30 people had gathered” and some began to call on the garda to stop. In the video the garda warns them to go away “for your own safety”.

At this point Mr Campion told The Irish Times that he began to "feel scared" and he stopped recording and prepared to go. As he departed two squad cars and a riot van arrived.

It is unclear what events preceded the video.

The video has attracted substantial condemnation on social media since he posted it earlier today.

Mr Campion, who is studying product design in Bolton Street, added that some of his relatives were ex-members of the force and he found it “hard to believe” that any garda could behave in this way.

A Garda spokesman declined to comment on the incident but said anyone who had concerns about any incident could contact the Garda Ombudsman Commission.