casman (21-12-15)
A SLIGO TAXI-driver has been acquitted of impersonating a garda while meeting a prostitute for sex in a hotel room.
John Feeley, 50, of Moylough, Tubbercurry had denied the charge of making a statement or doing an act calculated to falsely suggest he was a member of An Garda Síochána at the Clarion Hotel, Ballinode, Co Sligo on 6 May, 2011.
After a two day trial at the Criminal Courts of Justice a jury of seven women and five men returned a verdict of not guilty after just over two hours of deliberations.
The trial heard evidence that Mr Feeley met the escort for sex in the hotel room. She alleged that he told her that he was “a police officer” and showed her some form of ID card which had the word “firearms” on it.
They had sex and she claimed he left without paying her. He was later arrested and told gardai he had paid her for sex but he denied ever telling her was a police officer or showing her any ID.
Delia Marie Flynn SC, defending, told the jury that there were only two people in the room and that there was no external evidence of the allegations, including no evidence of any fake ID card.
The woman said that this card looked official and had a name on it but she didn’t know the man’s name. She said she believed that he was a police officer.
She said she asked him if she was in trouble. They then had sex and Mr Feeley left without paying her any money, she told the court.
Mr Feeley was later arrested and admitted meeting the woman for sex but denied telling her he was a police officer. He told gardaí he had agreed to pay her €100 for half an hour after she had asked for a fee of €120. He said he paid this over to her before they had sex.
The trial heard that it is not a criminal offence to use the services of a prostitute or to exchange sex for money.
Gardaí put it to Mr Feeley that he had told the prostitute he was a garda so he could get “a freebie” himself. He denied this and said he had paid the woman.
He told gardaí he had bargained her down in her fee because it was “part of the game” and he “was blackguarding her”.
lapd (11-12-15)
maybe its time now that we should get a receipt once we hand over the cash
TonyB (21-12-15)
Whole thing would tend to suggest the real gardaí are getting freebees.........
Mister Anderson (21-12-15), TonyB (21-12-15)
What does 'blackguarding' mean?
I think he probably did scare the life out of her and not pay, or why else would she bother?
Oh and sure there are always going to be corrupt police, but that doesn't mean they are all doing it. I used to see a guy in Dublin who was a Guard and he was lovely and always paid up front.
casman (21-12-15)
Its actually 'Blaggard'
It's pronounced that way, but spelled blackguard.
http://www.irelandlogue.com/about-ir...lackguard.html
You speak English. You’ve heard most of Ireland does as well. You may have heard the Irish speak the best english in the world. In any case, the last thing you may be expecting is communication difficulties on your visit to the emerald isle.
Most of the potentential pitfalls in your conversations may come from the slang used here. This is the thirty-seventh in a series I’ve been publishing of some common Irish slang that used to confuse us when we first arrived.
Blackguard = A bad person. Or, as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it, “a term of the utmost opprobrium.” Utmost opprobrium: sometimes I just love the English language.
Always pronounced “blaggard”, this is a word used primarily by the older Irish generation (in instances, it should be noted, where the younger uses something more profane [like bollocks]).
It’s also used as a verb to indicate someone’s behavior: “He’s only blaggardin’ ya”.
The origins of this word have been lost to time, but the OED dates it back to the 15th century. It is thought to refer either to the colour of someone’s soul (black) or perhaps the colour worn by the stern, elite guards of the King.
My first thought when I heard it was of someone guarding a furnace or maybe denizens of underworld? Then again, my imagination is known to get carried away with me . . .
Part of the game!!!! Dirty rotten BASTARD, how dare he! It most certainly is not part of the game, we ladies set our rates for our services, we set them at a rate we are comfortable with and to be haggled with is HIGHLY insulting.
casman (21-12-15)