Garda who ‘betrayed’ public’s trust jailed for three years for corruption

Updated / Thursday, 4 Jul 2024 20:14

A garda has been sentenced at Trim Circuit Court in Co Meath to three years in jail for corruption and deception offences, in what was described as an abuse of his power.

Joseph Doyle, with an address at The Hawthorns, Kilcock, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to 29 sample charges on the third day of his trial last month.

The 38-year-old had been charged with 89 offences of deception, corruption and money laundering between 2018 and 2020.

He entered guilty pleas on 6 June to 11 counts of deception and 18 counts of corruption out of the 89 original charges, through which he received at least €3,585.

At the time of the offences, the father-of-three was a serving member of An Garda Síochána and an acting public service vehicle inspector for Co Meath, based at Navan Garda Station.

He was arrested in April 2021 as part of what was described in court as “an enormously complicated investigation”.

Doyle was suspended on basic pay during the inquiry.

Detective Sergeant James King, from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, told the court today that Doyle had charged PSV (public service vehicle) operators €25 for bogus brake tests, when only one was required under the Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Test.

He had also requested €60 payments for Article 60 school bus licences, which are not subject to a charge.

Det Sgt King said Doyle also induced victims into making charitable donations to fictitious causes, including a school, a fundraising sky dive and for a sick child, who the court was told did not exist.

The court heard some of the payments were made in cash, while a number of cheques were made payable to Doyle or his wife.

Prosecuting counsel, Carl Hanahoe, said in one case, when he was challenged about the payments, Doyle said to a PSV operator “what’s your f**king problem with the brake test?”

The court heard he also told the man he would make his life a misery by getting his vehicle stopped at every checkpoint.

Another victim had paid €25 for brake tests on six separate occasions and €100 on the pretext it was a charitable donation.

The court was told the woman said the requests for the money were made in circumstances where she felt vulnerable because Doyle had told the woman that her husband had failed a breath test while driving a school bus.

However, Det Sgt King said there was no evidence of such a breath test taking place.

In victim impact statements read to the court, one woman said she had given Joseph Doyle money for a sick child in good faith for treatment in America.

She said was disgusted the garda had deceived her in such a manner and she said her view of gardaí had been tainted by the incident.

Another victim said his trust in gardaí has been lowered by what happened to him.

He accused Doyle of abusing his power and position and he said he used bully tactics in asking him not to make a statement on the matter.

Defence counsel Kathleen Leader said Doyle had ambitions to become a garda from a very early age, as he wanted to help people.

She told the court he “acknowledges and fully appreciates” that along the way “he lost his own moral compass” and “he has suffered greatly as a result of his own actions.”

Ms Leader said her client very much regrets what he did and is sorry for the distress he has caused to the victims, his colleagues and his own family.

She told the court he also “regrets the shame it has caused on An Garda Síochána and his colleagues” and he is “very ashamed of himself.”

“He is someone who lost his way along the way.”

A number of testimonials were handed into the court including from Doyle’s wife, brother and mother, a basketball club where he has been coaching and a garda colleague.

Doyle’s ‘sole motivation was greed’ – judge