*Shane Flanagan.
A JUDGE has directed that the 14 victims of an ex-Garda’s unauthorised PULSE data disclosures be asked to provide victim impact statements to court.
At Ennis Circuit Court on Thursday, Shane Flanagan (39) with an address of Ennis, Co Clare pleaded guilty to four additional counts of the unauthorised disclosure of Garda PULSE personal data on four individuals in 2020.
Mr Flanagan had already pleaded guilty to two counts from a total of 14 counts and counsel for the State, Sarah Jane Comerford BL told the court that the additional four guilty pleas were acceptable to the State and the other counts can be taken into consideration.
Judge Francis Comerford has directed that victim impact statements be obtained from the 14 individuals named in the 14 counts for the sentencing hearing next month.
Mr Flanagan who resigned from the Gardaí in March of last year is currently serving a seven year jail term for inciting strangers to rape a colleague and appeared via video-link from prison.
Speaking via video link, Mr Flanagan told Judge Comerford “I am happy to plead to those” after Judge Comerford asked he was happy to enter guilty pleas without first talking to his legal team.
Mr Flanagan replied ‘guilty judge’ when arraigned by the court registrar on the disclosure of personal data obtained without authority through the Garda PULSE system contrary of the Data Protection Act on dates between February 13th 2020 and June 16th 2020.
Ms Comerford (instructed by State Solicitor for Clare, Aisling Casey) said that the victims are not named on the charges where their names are initialled.
On the charges the victims are listed as LL, FS, LMc, RN, SH, DC, WS, LG, GL, NC, KR, KD, DD and IS.
Mr Flanagan said that his preference is to appear via video link from prison for the sentencing on April 29th.
Counsel for Mr Flanagan, Aaron Desmond BL said that a psychiatric report on Mr Flanagan should be to hand shortly for the sentencing hearing.
Mr Flanagan who turns 40 next month first pleaded guilty to two counts on dates between January 12th 2020 and September 24th 2020 out of 14 PULSE counts before the court last October.
At the Central Criminal Court last July, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon sentenced Mr Flanagan to eight years in prison and suspended the final year for inciting strangers to rape a colleague.
The court heard that Mr Flanagan impersonated a female colleague online and encouraged strangers to come to her house to rape her and her young daughters.
Ms Justice Creedon said that Shane Flanagan showed a breathtaking disregard for the safety of his victims.
Mr Flanagan admitted two counts of inciting two men to rape the woman, who had been a friend, on dates between November and December 2020.
Flanagan also admitted six counts of endangering the woman and her teenage daughters through his communications online and he pleaded guilty to possessing four images of child sexual abuse material.
The court heard that Flanagan and the woman were both serving members of An Garda Síochána at the time. They were friends but had never had a romantic or intimate relationship.
