Security man pulled up teenage girl's T-shirt looking for stolen goods

Ray Managh

A male security guard at a Circle K filling station pulled up a 14-year-old girl’s T-shirt and that of her 12-year-old sister, looking for stolen goods, a judge has heard.

The evidence was presented before Judge Jennifer O’Brien in the Circuit Civil Court today, Thursday, when barrister Rosalynn Mc Veigh disclosed that the two sisters had brought claims for defamation, assault and trespass on the person.

Ms Mc Veigh, who appeared with Enda P. Moran Solicitors for Margaret and Ellen Casey, of St Aidan’s Close, Tallaght, told Judge O’Brien that Circle K and Bidvest Noonan Security had offered both girls damages of €10,000 each to settle their cases.

Judge O’Brien heard that in April 2023, the girls’ mother, Angela Casey, had stopped her car at the Circle K filling station in Citywest, Dublin, and had given her daughters money to go into the attached convenience shop to buy themselves Easter eggs.

When they had been unable to find what they were looking for, they attempted to leave the shop when accosted by the security guard who asked if they had taken anything and had detained them in the shop for a few minutes.

Margaret, who was then just under 15 years old, and Ellen, who was 12 at the time, sued both defendants through their mother. When they had returned to their mother’s car, they told her that the security man had lifted up their T-shirts, looking for stolen products.

Mrs Casey had then gone into the store and demanded to know why the man had lifted up her girls’ T-shirts and he had replied that he had thought he had seen them rob something.

The girls had sued for defamation, false imprisonment, assault and trespass on the person and had claimed they had been greatly distressed and embarrassed and made look like thieves as a result of what had happened. There had been no apology from either of the defendants.

Circle K has registered offices at Beech Hill, Clonskeagh in Dublin 4 and Bidvest Noonan (Roi) Limited, which claims to be an award-winning company, has offices at Hilton House, Swords Business Park, Swords, Co Dublin.

Gardaí had been called to the Citywest Filling Station and had taken statements from the parties concerned but it is not known if papers had been forwarded to or if any directions had been recommended by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Ms Mc Veigh told Judge O’Brien she was recommending the two settlement offers to the court and the judge said she would approve both settlement offers and made orders for legal costs against the defendants to be taxed in default of agreement.