Jury hears that alleged hoax call was a criminal offence at a serious level

By David O’Sullivan

A garda superintendent has told a trial that a call claiming that explosives had  been planted at the house of the Minister for Justice was considered a criminal offence at a serious level “that might threaten the security of the State”.

Michael Murray (52), formerly of Seafield Road, Killiney, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to one count of knowingly making a false report giving rise to an apprehension for the safety of someone else while he was imprisoned in the Midlands Prison, Portlaoise on March 7, 2021.

On the second day of the trial yesterday, Garda Superintendent Dermot Dray said his objective was to try and establish the phone number and identity of the caller, who had contacted the Samaritans hotline and made a  bomb threat to the home of the Minister for Justice.

He told Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, that he had been informed of the bomb threat on March 7, 2021.

He made an application to his superior officer the day after to find out the caller’s number and where they had called from.

Superintendent Dray said he received the phone number two days later and information that the call came from the Midlands Prison.

In cross examination, Superintendent Dray told Garrett Baker SC, defending, that his application was to trace the calls made to this particular Samaritans office within a certain time period.

Mr Baker said gardai had information that the Samaritans’ volunteer did not, including the precise time the call had been made and its duration.

On Tuesday, a Samaritans volunteer told the jury about receiving the call.

When asked where this information came from, Superintendent Dray said he speculated it came from garda enquiries but was unable to say for certain.

Superintendent Dray also told Mr Baker that as far as he was aware, gardai did not physically visit to the Samaritans branch that had received the call.

Mr Baker put to Superintendent Dray that “everyone knew it was a hoax phone call” at the point the application was made to trace the phone number.

Superintendent Dray disagreed, adding “Not for sure – as far as I was concerned this matter would have to be thoroughly investigated”.

He continued that there “were extremely sinister elements to this at the very least.”

He said the call was a criminal offence at a serious level “that might threaten the security of the State”.

The court also heard evidence from Garda Sergeant Paul McGarry, who was a supervisor at the Eastern Regional Communications unit when the call was made.

He told the court that when he received the details of the bomb threat, he contacted gardai in Navan so that they could respond.

The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee lived in the area at the time.

He said he was “acutely aware that Minister McEntee was heavily pregnant at the time and not to cause her undue stress”.

Gardai were sent to the Minister’s house from Navan Garda Station to look for suspicious devices or anything that stood out.

Sgt McGarry said he received a phone call from these gardai at 10pm saying everything appeared to be in order and that no suspect devices had been found.

Gardai were also contacted in Dublin to examine the Department of Justice “for any suspect devices in the vicinity.”

Sgt McGarry said he also received a message from the Garda Special Detective Unit that evening that the code word ‘Red October’ used by the caller to the Samaritans wasn’t recognized by them.

The trial previously heard that the caller to the Samaritans said: “This is the Irish National Liberation Organization.

Explosives have been planted at the home of the Minister of Justice and her family. The password is Red October. This is to do with a court case happening in Dublin tomorrow.”

Sgt McGarry told Mr Baker that the investigation was “closed off” on his end once the bomb threat was discovered to be false.

In other evidence, the court heard from gardai who carried out a search of Minister McEntee’s house and the surrounding area.

The trial continues before Judge Patricia Ryan and the jury.