Solidarity Councillor did not encourage violence, lawyer tells Jobstown trial jury
The lawyer for a man accused of falsely imprisoning Joan Burton at a water charge protest in 2014 says his client was not encouraging violence.
Michael Murphy, a Solidarity Councillor with South Dublin County Council, is one of six men who are also accused of falsely imprisoning the then Tánaiste's adviser.
As protesters gathered outside a church in Jobstown in November 2014, a decision was made for Joan Burton and her adviser to leave a graduation ceremony early through a side exit and into an unmarked Garda car.
When they did, the crowd moved from the front of the church and surrounded the car. Some of them sat down behind it.
The same thing happened when they were later moved to a nearby jeep.
In his closing address today on behalf of Cllr Michael Murphy, Raymond Comyn criticised the Garda handling of the situation and described their decisions as the root cause of what happened that day.
He asked the jurors to look at his client’s actions.
He said he took steps to restrain people who were acting violently and condemned any “argy-bargy”.
He said he wasn’t encouraging violence as suggested and finished by saying the justice in this case lies in a verdict of not guilty.
