Serving garda to stand trial on burglary, assault, among other charges

Updated / Wednesday, 7 Jan 2026 15:18

A serving garda is to stand trial on charges of burglary, harassment, criminal damage, assault and sending grossly offensive messages.

Alan O’Mahony, who is stationed at Letterkenny Garda Station in Co Donegal, is to stand trial at Letterkenny Circuit Court.

The case was mentioned at Letterkenny District Court before Judge Ciaran Liddy.

State solicitor for Donegal, Mr Kieran Dillon, told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions had consented for the accused to go forward to the circuit court on all matters.

Mr O’Mahony, with an address at Commons Road in Cork, was not present in court and is currently off on sick leave.

He faces a total of five charges.

He is charged that on 30 June 2024, at Wood Park, Lismonaghan, Letterkenny, he entered a building as a trespasser with intent to commit an arrestable offence.

He is also charged with on the same date and location, damaging property to wit, a duvet by throwing a lit cigarette on the duvet and burning it, intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged.

Mr O’Mahony is also charged with assaulting Joseph O’Donnell contrary to Section 2 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, at the same location and on the same date.

On the same date and location, the accused is charged with causing damage to the handle of the front door of the house intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged.

Mr O’Mahony is further charged with, on or about the same date, at or near Letterkenny, of sending a grossly offensive communication, namely a photograph of a named woman to another person thereby distributing or sending with intent by doing so to cause harm.

State solicitor Mr Dillon said he was furnishing copies of statements to the accused man’s solicitor, Mr Patsy Gallagher, to consider a signed plea.

He asked for the case to be adjourned until 3 March to facilitate a signed plea being considered.

Mr Gallagher responded “that all makes sense”.

Legal aid was requested and granted as Mr Gallagher outlined Mr O’Mahony was currently not working “due to these matters”.

Referring to the “allegations and seriousness of the case”, he also requested Judge Ciaran Liddy assign him legal counsel in the case, which was agreed and the case was adjourned.