Young man charged with falsely alleging he was trafficked

A YOUNG man of purported Vietnamese nationality was granted bail with strict conditions when he appeared at Monaghan District Court last week on a charge of giving false information to gardaí to the effect that he was brought to Ireland and forced to work against his will.

Viet Cung (20), with an address at Eblana Senior College (currently in use as an IPAS accommodation centre), Eblana Avenue, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, was charged with falsely alleging human trafficking against himself, contrary to Section 12(a) of the Criminal Law Act, 1976.

The court was told by Sergeant Damien Galligan that this report was made at Monaghan Garda Station on May 13 last. The sergeant said gardaí were objecting to bail for the defendant.

Detective Garda Joel Collins said the defendant had alleged, while at the Garda station, that he had been a victim of human trafficking and had been taken to Ireland in October 2025.

Mr Cung had further alleged that he was then forced to work against his will at an unknown location, and that he had received beatings from his captors if the work was not satisfactory to them. He had shown injuries on his back to support this claim.

Det Gda Collins said the defendant had further stated that he managed to escape on May 13, and had travelled on foot for about 10 hours before a passing cyclist brought him to the garda station in Monaghan Town.

But evidence from the examination of his mobile phone contradicted this account, and appeared to show that he was actually in Belfast about four hours prior to presenting at Monaghan Garda Station. This had been accepted by Mr Cung in interview. Screen shots from Google Maps showed transit along a bus route on that day, and this too had been accepted by the defendant.

The garda confirmed that the State’s case, therefore, was that Cung was not trafficked, and had in fact travelled by bus to Monaghan Garda Station with the intention of making said allegations.

A prison sentence of up to five years could be imposed if convicted on indictment for the offence with which the defendant was charged, Det Gda Collins pointed out.

It was also confirmed that Mr Cung had been arrested on the previous day, following a two-month investigation, and while he was accepting some of the evidence against him, he was still largely denying that he gave false information.

Pointing out that the defendant had no known ties to this jurisdiction, the garda said there were concerns therefore that he would not attend court again if granted bail. While he claimed to be a Vietnamese national, nothing could be proven in relation to his identity as he had no documentation.

The defendant, who represented himself due to the solicitors’ strike, asked the court through a Vietnamese interpreter if he could pay a fine and continue to get help from the Vietnamese community in Ireland. He said he was afraid, that he had panicked when locked in a cell, and that what he had alleged about being beaten was true.

Judge Finnegan said he was granting bail, but included a requirement that €500 be lodged by an approved independent surety. Further conditions of the bail were that the defendant provide evidence of his identity and provide an address to satisfy gardaí.

The defendant was remanded in custody with consent to bail on that basis, and to appear again by video link at Cavan District Court on the following day (Tuesday), July 28, when he was further remanded in custody to appear on August 7.