Mayo man accused of assaulting two gardaí remanded in continuing custody
A 39-year-old Swinford man has been remanded in custody after pleading guilty to two assaults on gardaí during a violent outburst while being brought before Castlebar District Court.
Paul Howley, of 22 Brabazon Heights, Swinford, appeared before Judge Sandra Murphy where the court heard details of two incidents that occurred while he was in garda custody on his way to appear before the court back on August 28 of this year.
The court was told that Howley became violent while being escorted in custody by Garda John Garrett and Sergeant Conor Drury.
During the incident, he kicked Garda Garrett’s hand, causing pain. Garda Garrett was unable to work for a week as a result, though no lasting injuries were reported.
Following this altercation, Howley was transported from the courthouse to Castlebar Garda Station to initiate proceedings for this assault.
While being conveyed from the court building, he spat into Sergeant Drury’s mouth.
Sergeant Drury was subsequently required to attend hospital for screening for HIV and other blood-borne diseases.
Fortunately, all tests returned negative, the court was told.
Presenting Garda Sergeant Conor McShane outlined that Howley has a total of 40 previous convictions, including a conviction for threatening to kill or cause harm, for which he served one month of a six-month sentence. His record, the court heard, features a long history of alcohol-related offending.
Defence solicitor Mr. Brendan Donnelly told the court he had known Howley since he was 16, describing his client as “disgusted” when the statements were read back to him.
Mr. Donnelly said Howley had struggled with serious addiction issues, and that following the breakdown of a relationship two years ago, his alcohol misuse escalated.
Mr. Donnelly said Howley has made efforts to address his addiction while in custody, completing a SMART Recovery course and attending AA. He added that his client “knows he’s getting a custodial sentence” both in this matter and in an upcoming Circuit Court case scheduled for 2026.
Judge Murphy described the spitting incident as “an appalling offence to be dealing with in the District Court,” noting that the harm caused by requiring Sergeant Drury to undergo blood tests placed the matter “in the very upper echelon” of seriousness for the district court to be dealing with.
Sergeant McShane confirmed there would be no victim impact statement and that both gardaí are happy to proceed towards finalisation.
Judge Murphy said she would be considering a 12-month sentence for the two assaults but wished to give Howley some benefit for engaging in work and rehabilitation while in custody.
“He wants to get clean and knows he can’t do that on the outside,” Mr. Donnelly added.
Judge Murphy remanded Howley in custody and adjourned the matter to December 17 for an updated probation report and finalisation for him to appear via videolink.
She also noted that the original matter for which he had been brought to court in August would not be struck out until the current proceedings are concluded.