|
Gardia
swoop on McCartan - 10/11/03
Taken from the Sunday Independent
Gardaí swoop on McCartan at disciplinary
hearing
Sunday November 9th 2003
The confidentiality surrounding investigations
carried out by Croke Park into alleged breaches of playing
discipline has been called into question by the bizarre
involvement of the Garda Síochána in a row
between Down and Westmeath.
At the centre of the controversy is former
Down double All-Ireland-winning medallist, James McCartan,
and an incident that led to a broken jaw being sustained
by Westmeath's Ken Larkin. The attempt by the police to
arrest the Down star as he left a hearing of a Games Administration
sub-committee has sparked a major probe by the GAA into
who actually gave permission for the Gardaí to enter
Croke Park.
The GAA officials also want to find out
who tipped off the Garda Síochána about a
private meeting that was only known to a very limited number
of people.
The attempt to arrest James McCartan was
only foiled by the demands of Down County Board personnel.
When they asked to see Garda warrant cards and details of
the charges against the Down player only one Garda was able
to produce official identification. The plain clothes Gardaí
admitted that they did not have any warrants. They said
they were simply interested in talking to McCartan in a
nearby hospitality suite.
At this point the player and the Down officials,
including manager Paddy O'Rourke, made a quick exit.
Westmeath County Board Secretary, Paddy
Collins, who was at the meeting along with Larkin and his
goalkeeper colleague, Aidan Lennon, vehemently denies that
the involvement of the Gardaí was triggered by a
tip-off from official Westmeath sources. "Any such
allegations are ludicrous. They are just laughable,"
said Collins.
However, he confirmed that he had seen
two members of the Garda sitting in one of the Croke Park
suites when he arrived for the hearing. He also confirmed
that he recognised one of the officers as serving in Westmeath.
"I remember him serving in Westmeath some 15 years
ago but I had not seen him for many years."
The Westmeath official, who has been outspoken
in his demands for what he describes as natural justice
being seen to be done on behalf of Ken Larkin, feels that
the Garda did have a right to question McCartan.
"My understanding is that at some
stage down the line Ken Larkin intends to institute civil
proceedings regarding this matter. As such, surely the Gardaí
had an entitlement to question anybody alleged to have been
involved?"
The official line from Croke Park is that
the investigation into the Larkin injury has yet to be completed.
The sub-committee, under the chairmanship of Sligo's Ciarán
McDermott, found that James McCartan did have a case to
answer before a full disciplinary hearing of the GAC.
The meeting heard dramatically conflicting
evidence from the parties. Down and McCartan do not deny
there was contact with Larkin prior to him sustaining a
broken jaw. They are adamant, however, that there was no
deliberate intent to injure the Westmeath player. Down manager
Paddy O'Rourke pointed out that it was entirely feasible
that as the two players tussled for the ball, Larkin "could
have stumbled and clipped his face" off the trailing
boot of McCartan.
But the evidence from Westmeath 'keeper
Aidan Lennon supported Larkin's allegation that there appeared
to be intent by the Down player.
The full GAC hearing has not taken place,
and will not take place until the investigation into what
is being described in Down as Gardagate, is completed. James
McCartan has already asked for one deferral of the GAC hearing.
And it is thought unlikely that he will volunteer to attend
Croke Park unless assurances are provided regarding the
non-involvement of the Garda Síochána in the
matter.
Privately Down are furious at what they
believe has been a deliberate attempt to intimidate their
player through a breach of the Association's code of confidentiality.
They argue that if McCartan had been arrested and charged
with assault by the civil authorities it would have made
a mockery of any subsequent deliberation by the GAA.
Publicly the line from Down is that they
are prepared to wait for the outcome of the Croke Park investigation
into the debacle. All that Eamon O'Toole would say on the
matter was that Down "had absolutely no reason to inform
anybody other than the relevant individuals of the hearing."
It had all the elements of an Inspector
Clouseau farce
The roots of the row stretch back to last
May when, in a final warm-up match a week before the start
of the Leinster championship, Down played Westmeath in Newcastle,
County Dublin.
In the second half an incident on the pitch
left Westmeath's 19-year-old full-back Ken Larkin slumped
on the ground. The trainee Garda officer was eventually
taken to hospital by ambulance where X-Rays confirmed that
he had suffered a broken bone in his jaw.
The game was refereed by Down's Colm Broderick.
In his match report he made no mention of seeing any Down
player carry out an illegal action that could have played
a part in Ken Larkin's injury.
The role of the plain-clothes Garda officers
in the dispute between the two counties at times had all
the elements of an Inspector Clouseau farce. However, the
problem for the GAA is that nobody is laughing at the implications
of the controversy for the central characters involved in
the incident.
It also throws into question the future
viability of similar hearings. Players travelling from the
legal jurisdiction of Northern Ireland to that of the Republic,
will be reluctant to make that journey if the civil authorities
in the shape of the Garda Síochána are waiting
in the shadows to give their interpretation of the GAA Rulebook.
Site
was Created and Designed by Diarmuid Cahill
© DOWNGAA.NET
|