§ MR. HUGH LAW (Donegal, W.)To ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether he is aware that three men, Peter Boyle, James M'Monagle, and Owen May, of Fintown, county Donegal, were arrested on the 25th, 28th, and 31st December, respectively, on a charge of sheep-stealing, and were remanded to Derry Gaol, the granting of bail being opposed by the police; that at the petty sessions, held on the 4th January at Glenties, no evidence whatever was produced against Boyle or M'Monagle, and that Moy was also discharged by the magistrates on the ground that there was no evidence to connect him with the theft; was any effort made by the police to confront the accused either, for the purpose of identification, with the man from whom the sheep were stolen or with the person to whom they were alleged to have been subsequently sold, previously to these men being remanded to gaol or at any time before the 3rd January; have any disciplinary measures been taken with respect to the sergeant of police who made the arrests; and will he direct that in future the police shall not oppose the granting of bail in cases where they make arrests upon suspicion and are not in possession of any evidence to support a charge.
(Answered by Mr. Cherry.) The police authorities inform me that the three men referred to were arrested on 25th, 29th, and 31st December, respectively, and were remanded in custody to Glenties petty sesions on 4th January. The police did not oppose bail; it was not offered by any of the defendants. All three were discharged at petty sessions for want of evidence. The accused were not confronted with the persons mentioned in the Question. The owner of the 572 sheep could not have identified them, as he did not see the sheep stolen, and the person to whom they were sold lived eighteen miles away. It was not clear, also, that the thieves were the persons who actually sold the sheep to the person; in whose possession they were found. The absence of evidence was due to the fact that the persons who gave information to the police failed to support their statements. The Inspector-General is of opinion that no blame attaches to the police in the matter.