An internal investigation into the Irish Garda has been launched, after footage of two defendants involved in a court case for speeding was handed to RTE and broadcast on a news bulletin.
The video was recovered by police from the car of one of the defendants — accused of driving at speeds of up to 130mph — who had filmed the footage.
Irish police chief Commissioner Noel Conroy has ordered an investigation into the circumstances in which RTE came to obtain the camcorder videotape.
The judge trying the two men, Judge John Neilan, questioned why the recording, which had been recovered from the car of one of the defendants who had filmed the footage, ended up on the RTE nine o'clock news.
He said he was "deeply offended" that police officers would stoop to releasing material to the media that had not been presented to the court. An RTE spokesperson made no comment on the decision to broadcast the footage.
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