Courts / Dublin / Report

Dublin man settles action against Gardai over mistaken raid of his flat

Summary

In a High Court action, Francis Foster, aged 58, sued the Garda Commissioner, the State and the Attorney General for damages after the Garda Emergency Response Unit mistakenly raided his flat on 19 July 2013. Foster alleged assault, false imprisonment and a breach of his constitutional rights, claiming trauma, panic attacks, flashbacks and post‑traumatic stress disorder. The defendants acknowledged the raid was on the wrong premises but denied assault, false imprisonment or constitutional violations. On 2 July 2015, following settlement talks, the case was struck out. No settlement terms were disclosed. Detective Sergeant Paul Murphy admitted the error, apologized to Foster and expressed regret. The settlement was reached after Foster's claim that three officers had smashed his front door, shouted at him, and physically restrained him, though the defendants denied that guns were pointed at him or that he was held hostage. The case was dismissed without further proceedings.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Dublin man settles action against Gardai over mistaken raid of his flat. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 19th, 2013 Incident
• July 19th Hearing Or Sentence
• 2015-07-02 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report