Garda in court on charges of burglary, false imprisonment of woman and perverting course of justice

A third garda has appeared in court charged with perverting the course of justice, burglary and false imprisonment of a woman following an anti-corruption investigation.

Colum Ryan (35), with a Co Meath address, appeared at Dublin District Court on Friday and faces five charges for alleged offences in 2021.

The officer is accused of creating and printing a search warrant on September 30 to pervert the course of public justice after a search on September 7 at a basement flat at Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1.

It is also alleged that between September 30 and December 8, he procured the signatures of peace commissioner Steven Wrenn and another named man on the warrant.

He is further charged with burglary of the basement flat on September 7, and on the same date that he detained a woman against her will at St John’s Road West, Dublin 8.

Garda anti-corruption unit Detective Sergeant Garda Kieran Kilcoyne told Judge William Aylmer the accused was arrested on March 11 at Irishtown station and “made no reply” when charged.

The defendant did not address the court or indicate a plea.

His solicitor, Elizabeth Hughes, said there was consent to an adjournment until May 25 for the State to prepare a book of evidence. There was no objection to bail.

Two other gardaí and a peace commissioner have also appeared in court on related charges over the last two weeks.

On Tuesday, arising out of the same investigation, Garda Sgt Ciaran Whelan from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, who had worked out of Store Street station in Dublin, appeared in court charged with seven offences from June 19 until September 27, 2021.

He is accused of false imprisonment of the same woman at St John’s Road West, Dublin 8, on September 7 and making a false report between August 25 and September 15 to a named garda superintendent regarding a search of a male’s flat on Kenilworth Road, Dublin 6, on June 19. He is also charged with burglary at the flat.

Garda Mark Duffy (39) appeared at Dublin District Court last week. He is accused of doing an act between August 28 and December 20, 2021, intending to pervert the course of public justice.

The officer with a Dublin 15 address is also accused of burglary having.entered the same Kenilworth Road flat as a trespasser on June 19, 2021, to commit an arrestable offence.