Garda cannot identify himself in CCTV footage, court hears
A garda has told a jury he could not identify himself in CCTV footage recorded outside the home of a father and son accused of threatening to have his colleague shot.
Garda David Howard was giving evidence on day four of the trial of two men accused of threatening to have Detective Garda Stuart Gleeson killed and left in a ditch.
The men allegedly made threats against Det Gda Gleeson's life on a number of occasions and also knew details about his personal life, including where he lived and what car he drove.
Ian Dutton (aged 48) of Greenfort Lawns, Clondalkin has pleaded not guilty to three counts of threats to kill between September 2008 and April 2009.
His son Graham Dutton (aged 26) of the same address has pleaded not guilty to two counts of threats to kill during the same time period.
Gda Howard told Mr Colm O'Briain BL, prosecuting, that he was on patrol with Det Gda Gleeson on April 7, 2009 when he observed a car parked on the footpath at Greenfort Lawns.
He said the tax and insurance discs were valid but the vehicle had no NCT plate displayed.
Gda Howard told the court that he stepped out of the car to take down the registration details in his notebook.
He said that Graham Dutton then approached the garda car and became "very aggressive" before making threats against Det Gda Gleeson's life.
He said that Ian Dutton arrived shortly after and repeated the threats that Det Gda Gleeson would be shot and "found in the bottom of a ditch."
Under cross examination by Mr Giollaiosa O Lideadha S.C, defending Ian, Gda Howard was asked to examine CCTV footage recorded outside the Dutton family home on the day of the incident.
It was put to him that the CCTV footage showed an unmarked garda car occupied by Det Gda Gleeson and himself, pulling up outside the Dutton family home.
Mr O Lideadha also put it to Gda Howard that the footage showed him taking notes from the passenger seat of the car, which went against his earlier evidence that he stepped out of the car.
He also asked Gda Howard to accept that the young man and a woman shown in the footage were Siobhan and Graham Dutton.
Gda Howard accepted that the footage showed an unmarked patrol car pulling up outside the house and that it was approached by a young man.
However, he said he could not identify any of the people because of the poor quality of the video and said the footage did not relate to the incident in question.
The trial continues at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in front of Judge Desmond Hogan and a jury of six men and six women.
