Garda stabbed and another kicked repeatedly in attacks
Garda Dave Barry was stabbed in the hand and Garda Martin Cronin had his wrist broken when they were attacked by a man at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Dunmanway Co Cork last Sunday morning.
It has emerged an unnamed female garda was knocked to the ground and kicked in a vicious gang attack in a pub in Youghal just hours earlier.
A fugitive wanted for questioning about the stabbing of Garda Barry and the breaking of Garda Cronin’s wrist was still at large last night.
Both men are expected to be off duty for some time as a result of the attack.
Cork County councillors condemned the incident yesterday. Cllr John O’Shea said he wanted to commiserate with the injured gardaí and assured them the force had the backing of the people of west Cork.
Mayor Paddy Sheehan reiterated these words and said he hoped the culprit would be caught as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, a major investigation is underway and files are being prepared for the DPP following an incident in a pub in east Cork on Saturday night.
A number of arrests are expected later in the week.
A crowd of people turned on a senior male garda and a senior female garda after they responded to a call for assistance from a pub in Youghal’s town centre just after 9pm.
A man in his 20s had been asked to leave the pub towards the end of the Ireland versus France World Cup qualifier.
When he refused to leave, pub staff called for garda assistance.
The two gardaí arrived shortly afterwards. They also asked the man to leave and when he refused, he was arrested and hand-cuffed to the male garda.
As they were about to leave, the arrested man began to resist.
“He went ballistic,” a garda source said.
A group of the arrested man’s friends also turned aggressive and surrounded both gardaí.
“Nearly everybody in the pub turned against them.
“The female garda was knocked to the ground and was kicked in the head and body. They called for backup, which arrived within 10 minutes, but it was a very frightening experience for both members,” the spokesman said.
A small group of men in the pub stepped in and stopped the attack.
