Gardaí kicked me in face, man tells court
A 21-year-old has told a trial that he was beaten with batons and kicked in the face by gardaí who came into his bedroom.
Mr Eoin Gaffney told the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial of four gardaí that one garda held his mother back while the others stuck him “from every angle”.
Gardaí Sean O’Leary, Eoin Murtagh, Alan Conlon and Claire Delaney have pleaded not guilty to forcing entry to a premises at Basin Street Upper, entering as a trespasser and assaulting Mr Owen Gaffney causing him harm on February 17, 2008.
Gda Murtagh, Gda Conlon and Gda Delaney also pleaded not guilty to the false imprisonment of Fidelma Gaffney on the same occasion.
Gdi O’Leary, Murtagh and Delaney are based at Kilmainham garda station and Gda Conlon is based at Kevin Street garda station.
Mr Gaffney agreed that he has been in trouble with gardai before and “has a good number of convictions”.
He told prosecuting counsel, Mr Tom O’Connell SC, that he was playing a football match on the day and afterwards went home and got into bed.
He said when he awoke Gda O’Leary was standing over his bed with a baton in his hand and other gardai were standing around the bed. He said he knew Gda O’Leary because “he was always around my area”.
Mr Gaffney said he looked straight at Garda O’Leary who then hit him on the head with his baton. He said Gda Murtagh also went to hit him with a baton but he blocked it with his arm. He said he then started getting hit “from all over the place, from every angle”.
He said he was “smashed” into the wall and into a wooden bedpost. He saw his mother in the room shouting, screaming and trying to help him. He said a garda grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against a mirror before she was taken out of the room.
Mr Gaffney gave evidence that he was taken to the other side of the room while “half knocked out” and sat down on a sofa. He said a garda told him “three seconds”, then Gda Murtagh kicked him in the face with his boot.
He said the gardaí then ran out and his mother came in screaming, “my son, my son”. Mr Gaffney claimed he suffered a swollen nose and lip, cuts, bruises and bumps to the head.
He was taken to St James hospital and later contacted the Garda Ombudsman. He was asked by counsel if he was involved in any incident with gardaí to which he replied, “not that I can remember, no.”
The trial continues before Judge Desmond Hogan and a jury of six men and six women.
