Thursday 29 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 10669Perverting the course of justice · Co. Limerick

Trials of three gardaí delayed over resources and budget overruns

Three Limerick gardaí, Peter O'Donnell (52), Paul Baynham (37) and Niall Deegan (51), deny 33 charges between them of communicating with other gardaí in a manner that had a tendency or was intended to pervert the course of public justice, on dates between 2017 and 2019. The alleged offences relate to the squaring away of fixed charge penalty notices over road traffic offences, and the three have been investigated since 2019 and suspended since 2020. Their trials were listed at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court, where on Monday, 2 March 2026, the prosecution said it was not in a position to proceed, citing budgetary overruns. The defence applied to strike out the cases, all three gardaí were remanded on continuing bail, and the cases were listed for mention on April 14.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In court2 Mar
    2 reports
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
Three gardaí, Peter O'Donnell, Paul Baynham and Niall Deegan, deny 33 charges between them.
Charges
  • The charges allege that the accused communicated with other gardaí in a manner that had a tendency or was intended to pervert the course of public justice.
  • The charges relate to the squaring away of fixed charge penalty notices over road traffic offences.
When
The alleged offences took place on dates between 2017 and 2019.
Where
The hearing took place at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court, where Judge Colin Daly presided.
Investigation
  • The garda investigation was led by detectives from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).
  • The three gardaí have been under investigation since 2019 and suspended from duty since 2020.
Cause
The prosecution said the trials were delayed due to a drain on resources and budgetary overruns.
In court
  • On Monday, the prosecution said it was not in a position to proceed and the trials were adjourned.
  • The prosecution also cited the number of potential witnesses and the size of the GNBCI as reasons for the delay.
  • The defence made applications to strike out the cases and said it had not received disclosure.
  • The judge said he would consider striking out the cases against all three accused if the State did not complete disclosure within a reasonable time.
  • The judge said he could not hear the trials in April and was minded to seek a second judge for the Michaelmas term; each trial would last three weeks.
  • The cases were adjourned to April 14 for mention.
Other details
All three accused gardaí were remanded on continuing bail.
22 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatThree gardaí deny 33 charges between them of communicating with other gardaí to pervert the course of public justice. (limerickleader.ie)
  • whereThe hearing took place at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court. (limerickpost.ie)
  • whenThe alleged offences took place on dates between 2017 and 2019. (limerickleader.ie, limerickpost.ie)
  • causeThe trials were delayed due to a drain on resources and budgetary overruns. (limerickpost.ie)
  • investigationThe garda investigation was led by detectives from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. (limerickleader.ie)
  • investigationThe three gardaí have been investigated since 2019 and suspended from duty since 2020. (limerickleader.ie)
  • investigationThe accused gardaí had been under investigation since 2019 and had been on suspension since 2020. (limerickpost.ie)
  • chargeThe charges relate to the squaring away of fixed charge penalty notices over road traffic offences. (limerickleader.ie)
  • chargeThe three accused face a total of thirty-three charges between them. (limerickpost.ie)
  • chargeThe accused are alleged to have communicated with other gardaí in a manner that had a tendency or was intended to pervert the course of justice. (limerickpost.ie)
  • courtThe trials were adjourned at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court on Monday. (limerickleader.ie)
  • courtThe prosecution said it was not in a position to proceed, citing budget overruns as a reason for the delay. (limerickleader.ie)
  • courtEach trial would last three weeks. (limerickleader.ie)
  • courtThe defence made applications to strike out the cases, and the defence had not received disclosure. (limerickleader.ie)
  • courtThe judge said he could not hear the trials in April and was minded to seek a second judge for the Michaelmas term. (limerickleader.ie)
  • courtThe cases were listed for mention on April 14. (limerickleader.ie)
  • courtThe prosecution said it was not in a position to proceed with the trials. (limerickpost.ie)
  • courtThe judge said he would consider striking out the cases against all three accused if the State did not complete disclosure within a reasonable time. (limerickpost.ie)
  • courtThe prosecution said it was seeking an adjournment, as each case would take at least three weeks to hear. (limerickpost.ie)
  • courtThe cases were adjourned to April 14 for mention. (limerickpost.ie)
  • courtAll three accused gardaí were remanded on continuing bail. (limerickpost.ie)
  • otherThe three gardaí were remanded on continuing bail. (limerickleader.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 2 Mar2026
    In courtlimerickpost.ie, first report
    Trials of three gardai delayed due to budget and resources overruns

    First report of this matter in the list. Covers the court hearing where the three trials were delayed, the number of charges, the dates of the alleged offences and the adjournment to April 14.

    accused, Niall Deegan, 51, named, irish (judged from name)Niall Deeganaccused, Peter O'Donnell, 52, named, irish (judged from name)Peter O'Donnellaccused, Paul Baynham, 37, named, irish (judged from name)Paul Baynham
  2. 2 Mar2026
    In courtlimerickleader.ie, follow-up
    Applications made to strike out cases against three Limerick gardai in court

    First report of this case. Adds the charge details (33 charges, 2017 to 2019), the GNBCI investigation, the adjournment at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court, the prosecution's reason for delay, the strike-out applications, the mention date and the continuing bail.

    accused, Peter O'Donnell, 52, named, irish (judged from name)Peter O'Donnellaccused, Paul Baynham, 37, named, irish (judged from name)Paul Baynhamaccused, Niall Deegan, 51, named, irish (judged from name)Niall Deegan