Man who stabbed himself in throat may face charges
The matter will ultimately be one for the Director of Public Prosecutions who will also weigh up whether the man is fit, from a mental point of view, to stand trial.
The man, aged in his 30s, from Ferrybank, Waterford city, suffered serious injuries when he stabbed himself in the throat with a knife at the climax of a six-hour stand-off with gardaí in Swords, north Dublin.
He received immediate medical attention and was brought by ambulance to Beaumont Hospital, where he underwent surgery.
Gardaí believe the man’s injuries are not life-threatening. Garda sources said he was not under arrest, but they would review the situation when he was released. He is expected to be in hospital for at least a week.
The drama began shortly after 3pm on Monday when the man drove up to Swords Business Park. He went to the offices of a company he recently had business with.
It is understood he may have sold his own business to this company but was not happy with the money he received and wanted more.
When he couldn’t get to talk to the man he wanted to speak to, he announced he had a gun.
The man went back to his van, at which stage the firm alerted gardaí, who arrived shortly after 3pm.
They made contact with the man through his mobile phone and set up an on-scene command centre.
Local police contacted trained negotiators, a designated, trained on-scene commander and the Emergency Response Unit. The commander took charge of the operation and consulted the local superintendent.
“The man threatened to hurt himself and gave reason to believe he was a threat,” said a garda source.
“The first aim was to make sure no one outside the van was injured, second to contain the situation and third try and ensure he didn’t hurt himself.”
The negotiators split between those in contact with the man and those looking into his background. It is understood he had a troubled past and had lost contact with friends and family.
Following hours of contact, at 9pm the ERU decided to try and bring the man under control. A stun grenade was used, the ERU rushed the van, during which time he inflicted serious injury on himself.
A garda source said they will investigate whether the man committed a criminal offence and if he had criminal intent. The man could be charged with harassment of the person he had a dispute with and with wasting garda resources. The DPP would decide if a crime was committed and if he was capable of standing trial.
The Garda Ombudsman Commission is examining how the gardaí handled the situation.
