The Garda officer at the centre of the Bikegate controversy has been given a hero’s welcome at the conference of the force’s biggest representative body.
Detective Garda Eamonn Cunnane also received a standing ovation when he appeared at the annual conference of the rank and file Garda Representative Association in Westport, Co Mayo.
It’s the first time the respected officer, who suffered an almost four-year ordeal that saw him suspended and placed under criminal investigation, has been named.
He appeared on the podium with seven gardai from Limerick and Clare who were suspended for almost six years as part of a separate probe into penalty points there.
Two of them, Colin Geary and Tom Mc Glinchey, were accused of perverting the course of justice in relation to cancelling penalty points but found not guilty. Three others, Niall Deegan, Paul Baynham and Peter O’ Donnell were charged but not proceeded against and the other two Alan Griffin, John Shanahan were never prosecuted.
All seven were suspended for five and a half years before being reinstated. The eight men appeared on the podium during an urgent motion at the conference demanding an independent review process for any member of the force who has been suspended.
Det Garda Cunnane stood behind colleague Garda Michael Ryan – his GRA rep – who told delegates just how distressing his ordeal that started in 2020.
He was suspended and then subject to a criminal investigation by the elite National Bureau of Criminal Investigation for lending an aged neighbour a bicycle that was being stored at the rear of a Garda station.
Det Garda Cunnane told his superior what he was going to be lending the neighbour the bike – which was one of a number of unclaimed bicycles being stored at the station for some time.
But, despite that, he became the centre of a criminal investigation, involving the force’s most elite detective unit and was also suspended.
Gardai then sent a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions who ruled in mid-2022 that the officer was not to face any charges – but the force did not lift his suspension.
He remained suspended for another 15 months, something that was only lifted in August 2023, after an internal disciplinary process cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Det Garda Cunnane later took a personal injuries High Court case against the force – and he was awarded more than €250,000 earlier this year.
His name had never been published during his ordeal – but he stepped forward at the conference on Tuesday. Garda Ryan told delegates: “I am here proudly to represent the man who became known as Bikegate.
“This is the story of a guard who during COVID-19 loaned an unclaimed bicycle to a member of the local community at a time when so many people living in rural Ireland were isolated.
“Detective Garda Eamonn Cunnane who is here today called to a neighbour to check if he was okay. It was a simple act of care in a difficult time. He loaned a bicycle that was unclaimed that had been due to go for auction.
“This was an act of kindness and good behaviour, community policing at its best. Eamonn was and still is an honourable man, with over 30 years of impeccable service.”
He added: “What happened next was a shameful stain on the organisation that we all work for. At approximately 7am on Thursday morning on June 4, 2020, a loud bang came to the front door of his family home. Six members of the NBCI stood there with a warrant to search his home and property
“A court issued warrant was produced and his phone was seized for examination. They were only told that the officers were looking for a stolen bicycle. The officers remained there for a few house while the family home was searched. Eamonn told them where the bicycle was and why it was there.”
Garda Ryan said Det Gda Cunnane went with two officers to retrieve the bike from the pensioner. And he also said Det Gda Cunnane was not afforded the opportunity to explain the situation before the NBCI officers arrived at his door.
He said: “Detective Garda Eamonn Cunnane was suspended and languishing for over three years – not knowing what would happen next. “He was simply told he was under investigation, presumed guilty until he could prove his innocence.
“Ten months after the search happened the matter was dealt with by the DPP, who directed no prosecution and no charges to be brought.
“That should have been a sense of closure at that point. Instead, the internal investigation and the sworn inquiry continued for a further three years.”
Garda Ryan revealed Det Garda Cunnane lost precious time with his dying mother at the height of his ordeal. He added: “If it was not for the support of his Garda colleagues, the toll would have been even greater.
“The toll was immense – on his health and wellbeing, on his reputation, on his standing in his community, on his wife Jackie and their three adult children.”
The conference unanimously passed the motion calling for an independent appeal mechanism for anyone suspended in the force.
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