The Rossiter case

Brian Rossiter, a 14 year old Clonmel boy, was found in a coma after a night in Garda custody. He died three days later, never having recovered consciousness. At present an inquiry is underway into the circumstances of his detention and death.

Meanwhile there is evidence of Garda harassment of the father of Brian Rossiter, Pat Rossiter, and of a central witness in the case, Tony Buck, who claims to have witnessed a named Garda strike a heavy blow to the temple of Brian Rossiter as he was being brought to a cell in the Garda station some 12 hours before he was discovered in a coma.

Tony Buck's house has been raided on several occasions and, according to him and his wife, their home was ransacked by Gardaí. On one occasion the Gardaí claimed they were searching for a firearm. One of Tony Buck's sons is serving a term of imprisonment for the murder of a Clonmel man several years ago.

Pat Rossiter, has recently instituted a legal action against Gardaí in Clonmel for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution, following his acquittal on public order charges in early May.

The judge in that case, Judge Terence Finn, was critical of the Gardaí involved in Pat Rossiter's arrest. He advised the Gardaí to "go back to the books". He said he had a long memory and if further deficiencies in Garda cases arose at Clonmel District Court he would remember this case.

Pat Rossiter had been charged with being drunk and a danger to himself and others, and with using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour in a public place following an incident in May 2005.

One of the Gardaí involved in prosecuting Pat Rossiter was the garda in charge of the station in Clonmel on the night Brian Rossiter was brought to the station and later lapsed into a coma. He claimed in evidence he did not know who Pat Rossiter was, nor did he connect him to Brian Rossiter.

In the course of the case the judge expressed scepticism about notes gardaí allegedly made at the time concerning the incident involving Pat Rossiter. He also commented on the "marked similarity" in the evidence given by two gardaí in the case.

Vincent Browne