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A security company whose staff were the target of a violent attack while guarding a house in Co Roscommon after an eviction was fined for working in the Republic without a license.
GS Agencies Limited of Portadown, Craigavon, Co Armagh, was found guilty of six violations of the Private Security Services Act, which governs the private security sector and establishes the criteria that companies that provide security services in the Republic.
Castlerea District Court Judge Deirdre Gearty fined the company 500 euros for each of the six violations on Friday and also awarded it costs of 7,500 euros.
The prosecution was taken over by the Private Security Authority (PSA) after an investigation into the “provision of unlicensed security guard service” at a home in Flask, Co Roscommon nearly two years ago.
The prosecution and conviction were related to the fact that security personnel took up their position at the house after the eviction and were not related to the eviction itself. Evictions or repossessions are not covered by the Private Security Services Act and, under the law, can be carried out by anyone, without the need for a license and if force is required, once a court order has been granted.
Eviction
The eviction of farmer Anthony McGann, along with his sister and brother, from their home in Falsk, near Strokestown, in December 2018, was ordered by the Superior Court after a judgment was entered against him for an unpaid debt with KBC Bank.
The eviction was videotaped by bystanders and was controversial when the footage emerged, with unidentified men with a Northern Irish accent using force.
After the eviction was completed, the security guards, working for GS Agencies Limited, effectively moved into the home to maintain a 24/7 security presence there. However, three days after the eviction, in the early hours of the morning, a large group of people arrived at the house and attacked some of the security guards while others fled.
The group that carried out the attack was estimated at about 20 people, with six of the security guard vehicles burned and destroyed.
After the attack, the security workers were taken to the hospital or fled the house in Falsk. The next day, the McGann brothers returned to the property and remained there, and their dispute with KBC continued in court. KBC first obtained a warrant for possession regarding the property in 2012 and the case first came to court in 2009.
Speaking after the convictions on Friday, PSA Executive Director Paul Scallan said the case stemmed from “investigations by the authority into security services that were provided after a recovery.” He added that the PSA did not have a “legal role in regulating” the embargoes.
“In this case, a security surveillance service was provided at a location in Falsk in the days after the recovery. Such services require a license from PSA and in this case the security provider, GS Agencies Limited, was not licensed. “
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