Two Mayo gardaí praised for how they dealt with domestic incident
TWO gardaí have been praised for how they dealt with a domestic incident that has seen a man given a 10-month custodial sentence.
The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the injured party, pleaded guilty at Ballina District Court to breaching a safety order and to resisting arrest.
Garda Eric Carney told the court gardaí received a call from the complainant at 11.30 p.m. on April 10 last. She said her ex-partner had called her and put her in fear.
He told her she had to come and collect their son off him or else 'bad things would happen' and said he would 'pour stuff on her face to make her skin fall off' and also called her a slag.
The complainant asked for garda assistance to remove her son from her ex-partner’s property. Garda Carney attended the property at 12.15 a.m. with Garda Chris Barrett and met the complainant and her daughters.
The gardaí met the defendant, who was in an intoxicated state, and entered the house. They found the son in a bedroom in the house, who became very upset. Garda Carney, while leaving the bedroom, observed smoke in the kitchen where a fire had broken out.
While attempting to enter the kitchen to put out the fire, the gardaí were refused entry by the defendant who stood in their way.
The defendant had to be restrained and put in handcuffs and placed in the patrol car. Garda Carney re-entered the kitchen, however he heard Garda Barrett shout out 'he’s gone' as the defendant had been able to remove himself from the back of the patrol car.
The gardaí carried out a search of the house and found the defendant at the rear of the property and placed him back in the patrol car.
The defendant had 22 previous convictions.
Solicitor Peter Loftus said his client's offences in this case were at the lower end of offending. It was more a case that his client was 'reluctant' to be arrested rather than resisting arrest with violence and while he had absconded, he had willingly come back with the gardaí.
He said the breach of the safety order was a threat over the phone as opposed to taking any actions.
However, Judge Vincent Deane said the threats made were aggravating in this case. He imposed a 10-month custodial sentence with the last three months suspended for two years and ordered the defendant to not contact the complainant.
Inspector Ciaran Diffilly complimented the two gardaí for how they handled the situation, which Judge Deane concurred with.
“I agree, it was not an easy situation to deal with,” remarked the judge.
* Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.