Garda marksman loses claim for Uzi gun fall injury

A CRACK Garda marksman has lost a €38,000 damages claim against the state for injuries he suffered while honing his gun skills at a remote mountainous shooting range.

Detective Garda David Kelly, a member of the Special Detective Unit, injured his back when he fell on his Uzi sub-machine gun which had been slung across his shoulder, the Circuit Civil Court heard yesterday.

But Det Gda Kelly won €23,500 damages in a second claim, also heard yesterday, against taximan Peter Kavanagh, Ratoath Road, Cabra, Dublin, for injuries he suffered when Kavanagh’s taxi collided with the unmarked Garda car in which he was a passenger.