GRA chief denies he libelled journalist
Wednesday November 14 2007
Garda Representative Association chief PJ Stone denied in court yesterday he had libelled RTE's crime correspondent Paul Reynolds in an article in the 'Garda Review' magazine.
Mr Stone, author of an editorial in the magazine which was critical of Mr Reynolds, claimed he had a right on behalf of his rank and file members to criticise RTE coverage of a garda's detention and questioning six years ago about an alleged rape in Tenerife.
Counsel for Mr Stone and the 'Garda Review', told the Circuit Court that the editorial column was the one area where Mr Stone could vent his views on questions and issues of public importance to his members.
"He can and is allowed and it is permissible in law for him to criticise Mr Reynolds. His defence of 'fair comment' confers protection against liability for anyone who makes defamatory statements which contain fair comment."
However, Mr Reynolds had claimed the article written by Stone held him out to be an irresponsible journalist in his presentation of a report on the detention and questioning of the garda on the holiday island.
He had reported in a 'voice to camera' piece in front of Garda Headquarters that it was understood the garda had a lot to drink and had been put out of a pub twice prior to an Irish woman, who had been part of his group, complaining she had been assaulted and raped.
Mr Stone told the court he believed Reynolds' reporting of the incident in Tenerife had been "irresponsible".
Complaint
He said the 'Garda Review' office had received up to 60 phonecalls of complaint as a result of the RTE report.
Mr Stone said the way in which the report had been put together could be perceived to be prejudiced against the garda in question, as there had been no evidence to suggest that the garda had consumed alcohol or that he had been removed from the pub.
He said he did not understand RTE's decision to use Garda Headquarters as a backdrop to a piece to camera report by Reynolds. He felt it was unnecessary for the report to have been presented there.
Judgment in the case was reserved until next week.
- Ray Managh and Aoife Boyle
