A garda unit’s night out ended with one of them having his nose broken by a colleague during an after-hours drinking session in Ryan’s Bar in Dublin’s Lower Camden Street just under three years ago, a judge heard on Tuesday.
The Circuit Civil Court was told that a group of gardaí from Lucan Garda Station had arranged a get-together after work on March 28th, 2022 and there had been a romantic break-up between two of them, Garda Ronan O’Shaughnessy and his girlfriend, Probation Garda Aisling Walsh, while the group was having drinks in Cassidy’s pub, in Camden Street.
Judge Michael Walsh heard disputed claims alleging Garda Denis Lordan had pulled Garda Walsh’s ponytail while the group was having drinks around tables in Cassidy’s and that O’Shaughnessy and Garda Walsh, who are now living together and expecting a baby, had a lover’s tiff and break-up on the night.
The party had moved on to Ryan's where, Lordan told the court O’Shaughnessy had, completely unprovoked, punched him in the nose and broke it leaving him covered in blood.
Lordan is suing O’Shaughnessy for €60,000 damages for assault arising from the incident and denied a suggestion by O’Shaughnessy’s barrister John Nolan that he had attempted to blackmail O’Shaughnessy by having a solicitor send him a written undertaking to sign whereby the matter would go no further on payment of €20,000 damages.
O’Shaughnessy, in a defence to the €60,000 damages claim alleged Lordan had approached him at the bar in Ryan’s and, while towering over and looking down at him, had made comments about the break-up with his girlfriend Walsh and tried to throttle him by grabbing and squeezing his throat.
He said he had just lashed out in self defence and had struck Lordan on the nose. O’Shaughnessy told the court that before the night had ended he and Walsh had made up their differences before the incident in Ryan’s had taken place.
Walsh, who had not attended the after-hours session in Ryans, said in court she had drink taken when, in Cassidy’s earlier, she had probably over-reacted to O’Shaughnessy speaking to other girls, including an ex-girlfriend, and dancing.
Lordan denied a suggestion by Mr Nolan, who appeared with Colm O’Cochlain Solicitors, that he “had the hots for Garda Walsh” and had been jealous of O’Shaughnessy.
He said he had intended to speak to O’Shaughnessy on Walsh’s behalf but had not done so on the night. The punch had simply come from nowhere.
He told his barrister Mr Nolan he had not made a criminal complaint against O’Shaughnessy because he did not want his colleagues to get into trouble about having been on licensed premises after hours.
He had discussed the incident with Superinetndant Paul Murphy who had told him that if a criminal complaint was made against O’Shauaghnessy all of his colleagues who had been drinking after hours would be disciplined.
Lordan told his barrister Kevin Jolley he had agreed to have a word with O’Shaughnessy about their relationship but had not interacted with him before the punch.
He told Mr Nolan he had taken part in two fundraising white collar boxing promotions, one of them after having had his broken nose straightened, under the title “Denis D Destroyer Lordan” but in both bouts and in training for them had worn protective head gear.
Judge Walsh said he would deliver judgment in the case tomorrow, Wednesday morning.