A Garda superintendent charged over a row at a Dublin bar threatened the arresting officer he would be sued for €100,000 or lose his job, a trial heard.
Gavin O’Reilly, whose address on his summons is Phoenix Park, denies assaulting Emma Parks, manager of the popular gay bar Penny Lane, at Strand Street Great, while off duty and socialising in the city centre, on the night of August 26th, 2023.
Ms Parks claimed on Tuesday that the accused allegedly “bared his teeth” and “clenched his fists” and told her he was a Garda superintendent.
The manager alleged the accused told her she was “f**ked” and that he was “going to get this f**king place shut down”.
Dublin District Court heard he had been asked to leave, but shortly afterwards returned to the venue, and Ms Parks alleged that he used racial abuse towards Brazilian bouncer Marcos Peter Inacio.
Ms Parks told him that it was disgraceful and disgusting language, and she began filming him until he snapped her phone out of her hand.
He maintains he was roughed up and dragged by doormen and that the complainant acted as an “agent provocateur”, Garret Orange SC, defending, said.
On Wednesday, Mr Inacio, who came over to assist from the nearby Pantibar, testified that the accused had said, “Get your hands off me, you black bastard”. The court heard both bars had the same owner.
Emma Parks arriving at court to given evidence against Garda Supt Gavin O’Reilly who is accused of assaulting her at the Penny Lane bar in Dublin. Photograph: Tom Tuite
Mr Orange put it to Mr Inacio that his client never used those words, which the witness did not accept.
However, cross-examined further, he agreed that Ms Parks had been looking for a reaction when she was holding her phone.
Mr Orange said his client did not know what was being held in front of him when he hit away, and all he could see was an object shoved in his face.
The non-jury trial heard from two gardaí who arrived at the scene outside Penny Lane, and details of Mr O’Reilly’s arrest. Garda Eoin Naughton, then based at Store Street station, stated that the accused was roaring, shouting and threatening.
He claimed the accused got in his face, told him he had no right to arrest him, that he was going to lose his job over it, or would be sued.
The officer also alleged the accused told him he was going to urinate on the street. Garda Naughton said he told him to desist, and he was roaring about ringing the assistant commissioner.
He did not know he was a garda because he had no ID on him.
Cross-examined, Garda Naughton did not recall a trainee garda at the scene whispering to him that he recognised the arrested man and knew he was a Garda superintendent from participating in the 2023 annual Pride parade.
He could not recall how long it took before he was arrested and thought it may have come after 10 minutes, but the defence challenged him, saying the arrest happened within 40 seconds.
Asked to clarify if Mr O’Reilly’s demeanour was aggressive, he said on reflection he now thought that the man was upset at the earlier stage, but maintained he was aggressive and angry later.
Mr Orange put to the witness that his client had been annoyed at being falsely imprisoned; Garda Naughton replied that the accused did not say anything about having been falsely imprisoned.
Garda Graham Johnson said the accused was agitated when asked for ID.
He testified that during his arrest, Mr O’Reilly said, “This is all wrong, this is all lies”.
On Tuesday, Ms Parks told the court she was in pain and took a week off because he was very shaken.
The defence has asserted that she exaggerated and that the accused client had returned because he knew the owner and wanted to leave a message that “Garda Gav was in” before matters kicked off, and that the manager “went for him”.
Mr Orange also suggested that she was laughing at him and put her phone to his face, and that the video evidence showed his client being dragged by door staff, and that the accused was “roughed up” and she was hostile because he had the temerity to come back.
She rejected the defence suggestions and maintained her phone was mainly close to her chest.
The trial continues before Judge John Hughes.