Retired garda convicted of forging documents on stolen cars
A retired garda has been convicted by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of forging two documents in relation to cars stolen from the official compound at Store Street Station.
John (aka Ben) Mulvihill (aged 54) of Cherryvalley, Rathmoylan, Co Meath was found guilty of forging a document purporting to be a replacement document and a document purporting to be a sworn declaration on a date unknown between May 12 and June 30, 2002. The guilty verdicts were by 10-2 majority.
The jury found him not guilty on two further charges of stealing a Mitsubishi Colt, valued €2,500, between May 12 and June 30, 2002 and a Ford Transit van, valued €11,500, between December 2, 2002 and February 28, 2003 from the Store Street compound.
Mulvihill denied the four charges during his seven day trial. The jury returned its verdicts following five hours and 22 minutes deliberations and after spending one night in a hotel.
Judge Frank O’Donnell remanded Mulvihill on continuing bail for sentence in March.
Mulvihill joined An Garda Síochána in 1972 and retired as a sergeant in March 2003 with an exemplary record. He was in charge of the confiscated cars compound at Store Street Garda Station.
Judge O’Donnell thanked the jurors for "your service to the community in a difficult task of sitting in judgement on a fellow citizen" and exempted them from further jury duty for five years.
