Three Mayo men have been convicted of false imprisonment, assault and obstruction as they attempted to evade fisheries officers from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) at Belderrig Pier on the North Mayo coast two years ago.

At a sitting of Ballina District Court on 12 July this year, Judge Fiona Lydon also convicted the men of possessing illegally caught wild Atlantic salmon and nets, in charges brought by IFI. The charges of false imprisonment were brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Daniel McHale, with an address of Belderrig Mor in Ballina, was sentenced to six months in prison, which was suspended for two years. Liam McHale of Carnrock in Belmullet was sentenced to four months in prison, also suspended for two years. Joachim McNulty, with an address of Belderrig Beg in Ballina, was sentenced to four months in prison, which was suspended for two years. The three men were also ordered to pay €2,500 each to charity.

The court heard evidence from Lonan O’Farrell, an inspector with IFI that on the evening of 15 July 2020, the men were approached by fisheries officers as they recovered their boat at Belderrig Pier on the North Mayo coast.

The fisheries officers suspected that the men had illegally caught wild Atlantic salmon and illegal gill nets on board but were obstructed and assaulted when they lawfully attempted to board the vessel.

A fisheries officer was subsequently assaulted and knocked overboard by one of the men, but two colleagues managed to board the vessel. When the fisheries officer swam safely back to the pier, the court heard that emergency services were contacted and An Garda Síochána quickly arrived on the scene.

With two fisheries officers still on board, the men took the boat out to sea and refused to obey orders to return the boat back to port. A short time later, the men agreed to bring the boat back to port and the fisheries officers were able to get back to the pier safely.

The boat, An Deiseach, was later detained in Porturlin Harbour where forensics and salmon scale samples were taken as evidence for the subsequent criminal prosecution. Fisheries officers, along with An Garda Síochana, seized three vehicles on the night belonging to the men in question.

Inspector Pat Armstrong, officer Brian Flannery and assistant inspector Michael Wilson, all with IFI, also gave evidence during court proceedings providing their accounts of the incident to Judge Lydon.

IFI chief executive Francis O’Donnell welcomed the convictions, saying it was one of the most serious incidents that the agency has come across.

“Thanks to the brave actions of our fisheries Oofficers, a major illegal fishing gang has been stopped and brought to justice,” he said. “However, in the course of doing their job to protect vulnerable fish species, such as wild Atlantic salmon, they were obstructed, assaulted and falsely imprisoned. This is not acceptable and cannot be tolerated in Irish society.

“This very serious case sends out a clear message to those involved in illegal fishing — we will use our full powers under the law to protect people doing their jobs and to prosecute offenders through the courts.”

O’Donnell also thanked An Garda Síochána and the Director of Public Prosecutions on behalf of IFI for their assistance in the case.

Fisheries Officers have nominated three charities — the Charlie Bird Fund, Western Alzheimer’s Association and the RNLI — to receive the three €2,500 donations.