Garda charged with soliciting murder of woman and three children

By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

A Dublin-based garda has appeared in court charged with soliciting a person to murder a mother and three children.

The 33-year-old male garda, who has been suspended from duty, cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Detective Sergeant Mark Melbourne, from the Anti-Corruption Unit, told Dublin District Court he had arrested the garda on Wednesday morning at Kevin Street Garda Station and he was subsequently charged with five offences.

The charges included soliciting an unknown person to murder the woman and the three children in August 2021 as well a count of attempting to deceive the woman out of seeking financial support for his child across 2019 and 2020.

Melbourne said the accused made no reply to any of the charges under caution.

He said there was no objection to bail but sought certain conditions and Judge Darach McCarthy heard his passport had been surrendered.

A 300-euro lodgement was sought for bail.

The accused’s solicitor, Conor McGreevy, said the bail conditions were agreed on consent.

The court heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed for the case to proceed on indictment before the Central Criminal Court.

The garda was remanded on bail to appear again on September 25.