A garda, who was headbutted in the face as he attempted to restrain a berserk man, has been awarded more than €40,000 damages in the High Court for personal injuries.
Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty was told in a Garda Compensation hearing that Cork Garda John Twomey and a colleague, Garda Karen Ring, had been directed to a fight in a bar in Mahon, Cork, in August 2014.
Barrister Ellen Gleeson, counsel for Twomey, told the court that by the time they had arrived at the bar the fight was over, but the participants were still engaged in hostilities outside the licensed premises.
Pub incident
Ms Gleeson, who appeared with Ernest Cantillon Solicitors, Cork, said there had been five or six people involved in the dispute and a number of arrests had been made for offences under the Criminal Justice Public Order Act.
Garda Twomey, attached to Blackrock Garda Station, Cork, said one of the men known as BB had gone berserk outside the pub and when he grabbed his arm in a bid to restrain him BB had headbutted him into the face.
The two gardai had succeeded getting BB partly away from the scene but Garda Twomey had been assaulted a second time. Early next day when he had gone to see a GP in Youghal he had a badly swollen nose. He had also suffered dental damage.
Judge Gearty awarded Twomey €25,000 in general damages for pain and suffering to date with a further €9,000 towards future pain and potential dental services in the future. The judge also awarded Garda Twomey €7,653 special damages for expenses incurred in treatment since the August 2014 incident.
