Garda Statement: Does it have to be taken in a private room?

When a Garda is taking a statement in a Garda station does it have to take place in a private room.

I had to give a statement to a Garda recently and we were moved from a meeting room where it was just me and the Garda. I had to give the rest of my statement in the main Garda office with numerous Gardaí coming and going. I felt very intimidated, nervous and embarassed.

Can a Garda take a statement in these circumstances? Will it "stand up" in court?

Re: Garda Statement

I have given a few statements and they were always out of the public eye .

One thing that did annoy me , is that the statement was of course hand-written , yet the statement in court was typed .

I felt that the garda did not type my statement word - for - word , as I had given it to him .

My advice to you , would be , when you get the written statement , to ensure it agrees exactly with what you told the presiding garda .

Re: Garda Statement

i had to give a statement, it was in a private room. Before I signed it, I was asked to read it to ensure I agreed with what the Garda had written before I signed it. I asked for a copy and was given one.

Re: Garda Statement

nigel27 said:

I felt very intimidated, nervous and embarassed.

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Im not sure why you would feel this way while giving a statement, were you taking it personally that other guards were moving about through the room - it is their place of work, so presumably they had reason to be coming and going?

I accompanied a friend to give a statement once, it was hand written by the guard taking it, we both felt the guard was wording it differently to the actual words my friend used but when we pointed this out it she said she was re-wording for clarity - and did not write anything down re-worded unless my friend agreed it was what she meant.

Other guards came and went in the room, we didnt take any notice of them nor them of us.

As PyritePete says, my friend was also asked to read the statement to ensure she agreed with it before it was signed.

Re: Garda Statement

Friend of mine once gave a witness statement. It was handwritten and he asked for and received a photocopy of it before leaving the station. At a later date, when preparations were being made for the court hearing, a typed version of his statement was produced. The typed version was an edited version of his original which was edited in such a way that in his opinion it changed the substance of what he had said in his statement. He testified that the typed statement produced was not an accurate reflection of the statement he originally gave and signed. Gardai werent impressed.

Re: Garda Statement

I gave a statement and the copy that I received later was absolutely riddled with spelling errors and had been edited out of context.

Re: Garda Statement

Great , the above 2 posters agree with me on this one .

At the time I was doubting my own credibility , but now I believe I was right .

Re: Garda Statement

Allthedoyles, I think it depends on the Garda in question. I read the statement the Garda had written and read it a 2nd time.

My statement was for an accident in which I was at fault

I didn't feel imtimidated or nervous at all. It happened to be an attractive Bean Garda dealing with my statement...

Re: Garda Statement

For the last traffic offence I reported, I saved time by bringing a typed statement to the station, which the Garda just asked me to sign. I was a bit surprised that he didn't want to transcribe it onto the official form. I haven't heard back on this case yet, so I can't comment on how this will stand up.

Taking a statement in a public office certainly isn't ideal, but I guess they have a limit on the number of rooms, so it may be a case of public office or a long wait.

Re: Garda Statement

PyritePete said:

I didn't feel imtimidated or nervous at all. It happened to be an attractive Bean Garda dealing with my statement...

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I thought that all Gardaí are now referred to as such, i.e. Gardaí, that there is no longer a gender distinction between a Garda or a Bean Garda.

Would the gender of the Garda have any effect on ones being intimidated / nervous or not