Garda taken to court over raid on man’s house

Search may have been ‘mistaken identity’

A SOCIAL worker has gone to the High Court to find out why “a dozen gardai accompanied with sniffer dogs” forcibly entered and searched his home.

Ryan Moran has brought an action seeking to be provided with the information used by cops to procure the warrant, and a copy of it, to search his Dundalk house on April 21.

He has not been questioned nor charged with any offence and the court heard that the search, which resulted in his property being damaged, may have been a case of “mistaken identity”.

Mr Moran claims he has been left distraught over the search, and no longer feels safe in his own home.

He also believes his good reputation has been damaged and a cloud of suspicion has attached to him as a result of the search.

Mr Moran’s counsel Mark Murphy, instructed by solicitor James Macguill, told the High Court his client received a call at 8.45pm on the night in question from a neighbour that gardai intended to “raid” his home at Inniscrew Mews, Avenue Road.

Officers entered and searched the premises for around 25 minutes. Mr Moran was working a night shift at the time and could not leave his post to go home.

He returned the following morning when his shift was completed. On arrival he found the door “off its hinges” open and his home was “in a complete state of disarray”.

The case came before Mr Justice Charles Meenan, who on an ex-parte basis, granted Mr Moran permission to bring his challenge.

The judge made the matter returnable to a date in November.