A Shattered Dream

dublin | crime and justice | news report Thursday October 20, 2005 02:51 by John Scully - John Scully scullyj at iol dot ie 1 Rathmintin Close, Jobstown, Tallaght, Dublin 24. 353 1 4517650

A Family's search for justice in Ireland

This is the true story of a family's 30 years search for justice in Ireland.

I was born in a council cottage and lived there with my father and mother, my four sisters and my brother. We shared two ten square feet bedrooms. There was no kitchen area or cooking facilities, no running water, no electricity and no form of heating. I walked to school barefoot one mile back and forth each day. I left school at fourteen with no educational facility or job training. My first job was a farm hand feeding pigs, cattle and horses. My dream and ambition since school days was to own a grocery store and I knew that in this type of situation the shop dream looked certain to be an impossible one to achieve. But I was determined that some day I would succeed. Although I had lived in a poverty-stricken era I still loved that little house. It was in the 1960s that I saw the hopelessness of my financial situation and decided that if I were to find a decent job I had no option but to emigrate. After several years in England I longed to return to the place I loved best – Ireland’s famously green shores. I would be returning a little better off than when I had left and I also had my new wife Barbara, who I met in London and our first child Nigel. We returned in the early Seventies and immediately began the search for our dream shop. This is the account of how things went terribly wrong for us in our attempt to set up shop. In June 1972 we finally opened our grocery store in Dublin’s inner city for the first time and we felt completely over the Moon with happiness. We got off to a promising start in Dublin, but soon ran into trouble with the local gangs that vandalised our store and threatened our persons. Our troubles deepened when I tried to interest the local police in our problems. The 1970s was set in that period of current Irish history in a country torn with wars on several levels - international, national and for some on a very personal level. This story is one of the latter, a struggle for survival against gangs and authorities who abuse their power. A tale of an average citizen enmeshed in a web of intrigue - the why of it and its inner workings - we didn't understand. Having to contend with the local gangs was bad enough but when the police who we depended on to protect us began to follow in the gangs footsteps we felt even more terrorised. I had been arrested on several occasions and locked up in foul police station cells for long periods without food or water. They placed various accusations against me, charged me and took me to court where all charges were withdrawn. Our shop and home had been searched and items taken away to the local police station and returned at a later date. We were satisfied the action taken against us was simply because we reported the local police to their headquarters that we were not receiving the required protection for our family, our home and livelihood. In the end we had no option but to leave our home and shop thereby bringing an end to a lifelong dream. It seemed to us that the police were worse than any gang member imaginable in that there was no recourse. We were very disappointed that after our complaints to police headquarters our lives had descended into destitution and desperation and instead of enjoying our new-found venture we spent the next thirty years trying to rectify the wrongs that had been inflicted on us. We had information from the decent people of the area of our shop that the terror the hooligans were subjecting us to would eventually come to an end and we would be allowed to live in peace. The police it seems were not prepared to go down that peaceful road with us and they continued with their harassment of us until they’d finally driven us out of the area for good. In Ireland you've got to have a cheque book, you've got to be well known, otherwise it is no use. Justice for working class people is based on money, if you haven't got it, you have no justice and that’s the stark reality an Irish citizen is faced with.

THIRTY YEARS OF POLICE ACCUSATIONS AND HARASSMENT
April 1973, home search, no warrant (not charged). Sept. 1984, second search, no warrant (not charged). April 1985, third search, no warrant (not charged). April 1985, fourth search, no warrant (not charged). Nov 1991, fifth search no warrant (not charged). July 2000, sixth search, no warrant (not charged). Nov 2000, seventh search, no warrant (not charged). March 1975, car search, no warrant (not charged). Jan 1976, second car search, no warrant (not charged). Feb 1974, breach of peace, (set aside by Justice Dept.). June 1975, second breach of peace, (withdrawn). June 1984, third breach of peace, (withdrawn). May 1974, assault, (withdrawn). June 1984, second assault, (withdrawn). May 1985, third assault, (not charged). Feb 1974, malicious damage, (set aside by Justice Dept.). July 1984, second malicious damage, (withdrawn). Aug 1983, third malicious damage, (withdrawn). May 1974, dangerous driving, (not charged). Aug 1984, second dangerous driving, (not charged). Jan 1976, threatening, (not charged). June 1984, second threatening, (not charged). Oct 1973, improper burglary report, (not charged). June 1976, involved with subversives, (not charged). Jan 1976, Offences against State, (not charged). Jan 1976, involved with IRA; (not charged). Jan 1976, involved with Sinn Fein, (not charged). Jan 1976, organising illegal meetings, (not charged). Jan 1976, bank robberies, (not charged). Jan 1976, driving stolen vehicle, (not charged). May 1975, involved with protection gangs, (not charged). Sept 1985, involved in serious crime, (not charged). July 1991, Police Property Act, (withdrawn). June 1981, operating illegal gaming machines, (withdrawn). Aug 1984, non-payment of fine, (jailed without warrant).

Although most of these accusations were to my mind very serious they were unable to frame me and I had always come out of it a free man. But I was angry that because of it my family and I had lost our home and livelihood. This police action against us had almost broken up our family. I sat down many hours a day every day and I made myself ill from worry as to why and how we’d been singled out for this treatment and I repeated the words “Why me” over and over. I have lived a psychologically tortured life because of these accusations and had suffered mental stress from which I was unable to recover also ongoing nightmares and hospitalisation.
Although most of these accusations were to my mind very serious they were unable to frame me and I had always come out of it a free man. But I was angry that because of it my family and I had lost our home and livelihood. This police action against us had almost broken up our family. I sat down many hours a day every day and I made myself ill from worry as to why and how we’d been singled out for this treatment and I repeated the words “Why me” over and over. I have lived a psychologically tortured life because of these accusations and had suffered mental stress from which I was unable to recover also ongoing nightmares and hospitalisation.
Revenge
In the sixth search eight police officers surrounded our home taking up positions to the front and rear with some of them scrambling over neighbours fencing to gain access to our back door. Three of them then pounded on the front door and when it was opened they forced their way in without producing a search warrant. They said they didn’t have one and they didn’t need one. We were then held to house arrest and were not allowed to move from one room to the other. One of them stood at the door and prevented us from going upstairs to oversee what the others were doing in the bedrooms. My wife Barbara, our children Shree, Lisa and John junior and Simon were in the house. We were all very embarrassed in front of our neighbours. We had never taken anything from anybody and lived our lives with honesty. We saw no justification whatever in this police action against us and although we demanded an explanation we didn’t get one. The Irish Constitution state that everyone is entitled to privacy and the peaceful enjoyment in their homes but this had never been afforded to our family. We were told there was nothing we could do about it. In my childhood days my parent's taught me how never to hold a grudge against other people, be spiteful, terrorise or damage other people’s property. They taught me how to be friendly with people and be kind and forgiving. I felt incensed at the great loss my family and I had suffered particularly as it was the police who had caused us the most harm. Revenge entered my head and I decided on a plan to get even with the police for the unfair way they had treated us. I filled the boot of car with all kinds of objects including glass bottles, rocks, and piece and roof tiles. I intended to go to the local police station and throw the objects through the windows. I was aware the action I was taking would be serious and hoped it wouldn’t reflect on the rest of my family. My own fate at that minute was irrelevant. When I entered the car to proceed to the police station I was overcome by an odd feeling which I am unable to fully describe. I made several attempts to turn on the engine to proceed to the station when I felt sweat rolling down my face. I trembled and felt weak. My hands were turning to jelly and I had no power in them. I sat in the car for over an hour in this condition and then began to regain the power in my hands. Even tough the night was very cold my clothes were saturated with sweat. The principles my parent’s taught me were flashing in my head and I decided to abandon my plan of revenge. I am sure it was this notion that had stopped me from carrying out my plan.