A Fine Gael councillor called for the Government to review the position of Go Safe vans in a motion to Limerick County Council at the same time as he requested a Garda Superintendent to “sort” a speeding ticket for him, a jury has heard.

An exchange of text messages between Cllr Liam Galvin and then superintendent Eamon O’Neill was shown to the jury at the trial of Mr O’Neill and four gardaí who are accused of perverting the course of justice by interfering in road traffic prosecutions.

The councillor, from Ballaugh, Abbeyfeale, sent a picture of a fixed charge penalty notice to Supt O’Neill with an accompanying text message which read, “Can you sort that for me?”

The fixed charge penalty notice related to an alleged offence of speeding at 142km per hour in a 120km zone on the M20 near Patrickswell, County Limerick in November 2017.

Superintendent O’Neill replied, “Am trying my friend”. He asked the councillor how many penalty points he had, and Cllr Galvin replied, “Not sure but lots”.

A summons was subsequently issued to Cllr Galvin who sent a picture of it to Superintendent O’Neill in July 2018. The superintendent replied, “Have I ever let you down kid”.

The jury was also shown an image of a copy of a motion moving for a review of the positions of Go Safe vans in County Limerick. The court heard the image was sent by Cllr Galvin to Supt O’Neill, with a text message that said, “Ha ha ha”.

The Limerick county councillor is not one of the five people on trial accused of wrongdoing, and was not arrested as part of the investigation.

Retired Superintendent Eamon O’Neill, Sergeant Anne Marie Hassett, Sergeant Michelle Leahy, Garda Tom McGlinchey, Garda Colm Geary have pleaded not guilty to a total of 39 offences of engaging in conduct tending and intended to pervert the course of justice contrary to common law on dates between October 2016 and September 2019.

Laura Galligan, a senior crime analyst with An Garda Síochána, is giving evidence of examining the WhatsApp messages on Mr O’Neill’s phone which was seized at his home on the day of his arrest in May 2019 as part of an investigation by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

The trial continues before a jury of eight men and four women at Limerick Circuit Court.