Couple claim they were assaulted by two gardaí

TWO gardaí are under investigation for allegedly assaulting a young couple in Co Kerry.

A senior officer has carried out an investigation and a file has been sent to the Garda Complaints Board (GCB) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The couple, who have provided details of their complaint to the Irish Examiner, claim they were assaulted several times during the night of July 17, 2004.

The couple, who have a child, claim they received injuries to their backs, heads, legs and arms during the alleged assault.

The woman, 23, went to her local doctor after the incident and a medical report was completed on her alleged injuries. The couple said they had to move out of the area after the incident and are now living in Co Cork.

The man, 28, claims he was subjected to a campaign of garda harassment after he was convicted of an offence.

The pair said they were walking home from a nightclub on July 17, 2004, when they claim two gardaí passed them several times, staring at them.

They claim the gardaí stopped and got out saying the couple had shouted “pigs” at them, which they denied. The man claims one of the gardaí then searched him under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

The other officer allegedly pushed his girlfriend against the wall when she questioned the search and arrested her. The garda allegedly knocked her to the ground and put handcuffs on her while resting his knee on her back.

The boyfriend claims the gardaí then “punched her in the back two or three times”. He says he received a blow to his head with a torch from the garda searching him when he protested.

The couple claim they were put in the back of the patrol car, with their hands handcuffed behind them.

They allege that during the trip to the local station, the gardaí took turns to hit them with their torches.

They say they feared for their safety and tried to kick out one of the car windows to escape. The vehicle stopped and one of the gardaí came out and allegedly hit the boyfriend across the neck and head.

They were then brought to the station and detained before being released.

The couple subsequently made a complaint to the GCB. A garda spokesman confirmed a senior officer from outside Kerry examined the complaint on behalf of the GCB.

“The matter was investigated and a file submitted to the Complaints Board,” said the spokesman.

As with all complaints deemed admissible by the GCB, the file was passed on to the DPP.

This is the third investigation into alleged garda misbehaviour in Co Kerry to emerge in the last month.

The GCB annual report for 2004 shows that the number of complaints from the public about gardaí in Co Kerry rose from 22 in 2003 to 29 last year.