DISGRACED EX-GARDA SHANE Flanagan engaged in “repeated criminality” by supplying confidential PULSE identification data on 14 female motorists in Co Clare to a friend so the friend could view the women’s profile photos on Facebook.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed a sentence of nine months on 41-year-old Flanagan of Ennis, Co Clare.

It will run consecutive to the seven-year term Flanagan received in July 2025 for inciting strangers to rape a female colleague.

Judge Comerford said that it was a “very serious offence for Mr Flanagan to disclose PULSE information during the course of his duties” between January and September 2020 to his friend, Colm Meere (45) of Knockanean, Tulla Road, Ennis.

“A garda’s role is to protect society and women in society”, the judge said, but Flanagan had engaged in “repeated criminality” in providing the strictly-confidential data on the women concerned.

Meere, who pleaded guilty to inciting Flanagan to give out the unauthorised PULSE data, was given a 14-month suspended prison term by the judge.

Flanagan – appearing in court via video-link from the Midlands Prison – and Meere had pleaded guilty to sample counts concerning the unauthorised disclosure of PULSE data on 14 female motorists between January and September 2020.

Judge Comerford said that Meere, who is a married father-of-two, had engaged in “creepy” behaviour in seeking out the information so he could view the Facebook profile photos.

The circumstances around the offending “brings a level of disgrace and shame”, the judge added.

At garda interview, Meere said: “I have a wife and kids and obviously I shouldn’t have been doing what I was doing.”

He told gardaí that it was “stupid, male, egotistical behaviour”.

Judge Comerford said that there was no evidence of Meere making contact with the women online, making Facebook friend requests or seeking them out.

Judge Comerford said that an alarming feature of the case is that the garda from whom Meere was obtaining the PULSE data “was someone who committed some very sinister and obsessive offences of a sexual nature” that he was sentenced for last year.

The judge said that there was no evidence before the court that Meere knew anything about Flanagan’s more serious offending.

Inspector Paul English told the court that the unauthorised PULSE data offences came to light as part of the separate garda investigation into Flanagan inciting others to rape a colleague.

The investigation involved the seizure of Flanagan’s mobile phone. It showed that Flanagan had 2,212 screenshots of PULSE records on his mobile phone.

The garda investigation uncovered chats between then-garda Flanagan and Meere.

The chats showed Meere over a nine-month period making requests of Flanagan to get the names of registered owners of cars driven by women he had seen at different locations from the registration plates provided by Meere.

Meere’s wife was in court to hear the State lay out the details of the case.

In one exchange between Flanagan and Meere, one female car owner is described by Meere as “a blond from Feakle and a cracker”.

In another exchange, Meere, after seeing a profile pic on Facebook of a female driver, said “her profile picture isn’t too shabby – like her pants were painted onto her”.

In response, Flanagan said: “She has some arse on her now to be fair. She is a teacher now” and in response Meere texted back “she can teach me anything she wants to teach me”.

In another exchange, Flanagan told Meere that the registered owner of a car that Meere supplied the details of is a man.

In response, Meere texted to say “there wasn’t a man driving this – some f**king sex change of a doctor did a serious job on this if it is”.

Counsel for the State, Sarah Jane Comerford BL, said that all of the women had been contacted to see if they wished to make a victim impact statement but none of them elected to do so.

Counsel for Flanagan, Mark Nicholas SC told the court that the two friends had engaged in “silly, ridiculous, wrong, laddish type behaviour and it is absolutely right that it be stamped out”.

Flanagan’s defence said that what went on was “utterly, utterly inappropriate”.

Counsel for Meere, Patrick Whyms BL, said that his client is “shocked, ashamed and appalled at his behaviour”.

Judge Comerford imposed a separate suspended 18-month prison term on Meere after he pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking offence where on 14 April 2022 he had in his possession at Henry Street Garda Station, Limerick a tick list, bag sealer, tin foil, scissors, baggies and a mobile phone, in circumstances where there was a reasonable inference that the items were in his possession or control for a purpose in connection with drug trafficking.