Former garda Shane Flanagan has been sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to unlawfully sharing confidential details of 14 female motorists from the Garda PULSE information system.

At Ennis Circuit Court on Wednesday, Judge Francis Comerford ordered that the nine-month sentence run consecutive to a seven-year prison term Flanagan is currently serving. The earlier sentence was imposed in July 2025 after Flanagan was convicted of inciting strangers to rape a female colleague.

The court heard that between January and September 2020, Flanagan accessed strictly confidential identification details of 14 female drivers in County Clare on the PULSE database and passed the information to his friend, Colm Meere. Meere sought the details to locate the women's profile photos on Facebook, according to evidence presented in court.

Judge Comerford characterized Flanagan's conduct as "repeated criminality," stating it was a very serious offence for a police officer to disclose PULSE information obtained during the course of official duties. The judge added that a garda's role is to protect society and women within it.

Meere, 45, of Knockanean, Ennis, pleaded guilty to inciting Flanagan to disclose the personal data without authorization. Judge Comerford imposed a 14-month suspended prison term on Meere, describing his actions as "creepy" while noting there was no evidence he had made contact with any of the women online. In interviews with gardaí, Meere described his actions as "stupid, male, egotistical behaviour."

Flanagan, 41, who resigned from An Garda Síochána in March 2025, appeared at the sentencing hearing via video-link from Midlands Prison.