Councillor facing public order charge over Buncrana incident

Donegal county councillor Frank McBrearty Jnr is facing a public order charge in relation to an event which took place in Buncrana earlier this year.

The Raphoe independent councillor is due to appear at Buncrana District Court tomorrow charged with a public order offence contrary to section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act on March 23 at Ballymacarry Lower, Buncrana.

It is alleged that he did use or engage in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace or being reckless as to whether a breach of the peace might have been occasioned.

The charge is connected to an alleged incident outside the Inishowen Gateway Hotel while a conference attended by county councillors from around the country was taking place.

The Association of Irish Local Government conference was attended by Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Peter Burke.

Cllr McBrearty is also facing public order charges connected to an alleged incident outside the headquarters of Donegal County Council in December last year.

He is due to appear at Letterkenny District Court on October 17 charged with the obstruction of a vehicle under section 9 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 on December 13, 2021 at the car park of County House in Lifford.

He is also charged with breach of the peace under section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 at the same location.

The charges relate to a confrontation between Cllr McBrearty and Buncrana Sinn Féin councillor Jack Murray, who was then cathaoirleach of the local authority.

In June this year, Cllr McBrearty said the investigation into that incident was “harassment”.

“In due course, I will defend and prove these latest allegations in the criminal and civil courts are false as I did previously in the battle for justice against the Irish State."

He has also claimed he is the victim of a political witch hunt as part of an attempt to get him removed from office.

The former Fine Gael and Labour councillor was awarded €1.5m in legal action against State in 2005 after the Morris Tribunal found gardaí had attempted to frame him for the murder of Richie Barron in 1996.

In February this year, Donegal County Council secured a High Court order restraining Cllr McBrearty from attending its meetings for a month after he was suspended for alleged disorderly conduct at council meetings.

He told the court that he had been raising issues of public importance and exposing alleged “systemic corruption” within the council.