Garda blinded after kick in face at bonfire, court hears
There were scenes of “complete chaos” which were “approaching anarchy” in Bianconi Drive in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, on Oct 31, 2008, the jury at Clonmel Circuit Court heard yesterday.
Garda Helena Power was kicked in the face and later had to have surgery.
Andrew Freaney, aged 24, of 22 Elm Park, Clonmel, denies a charge that he assaulted Garda Power, causing her serious harm.
Noel Whelan, prosecuting, said Garda Power was “blinded immediately and bleeding from the eye” after sustaining a kick while gardaí were trying to arrest Mr Freaney’s brother.
There was “serious concern” about the garda after the incident and she had to have surgery that “created a dramatic improvement,” Mr Whelan said. “She is left requiring glasses for reading and a double vision problem at the extremities of her vision, arising from the incident.”
Superintendent Eunan Dolan said a policing plan was in place for the town for Halloween. He went on patrol with Sergeant Tom O’Dwyer that night.
On arrival at Bianconi Drive, they saw a crowd of 40-50 people but didn’t think “the atmosphere was particularly hostile”.
He saw Mr Freaney drinking from a bottle of Power’s Whiskey and then saw Garda Power and Garda Donal Cashman, who arrived at the scene separately, engaging with Mr Freaney, and he left.
The superintendent recalled then seeing Mr Freaney’s brother, who was 14 and appeared to be “very drunk”. “He was walking across in front of the fire and I thought he was going to fall into the fire.”
Garda Power approached the younger brother and tried to take a can of beer from him, and then Garda Cashman got involved. A struggle developed and the crowd started to get agitated. “They were shouting about ‘fucking killing 14-year-old children’, which relates to an historical incident in Clonmel,” Supt Dolan said.
There was then a group of people struggling with the Freaney boy. He saw a person “tumble from that group to the ground,” and it was Garda Power.
“She was on the ground and saying she couldn’t see. There was blood coming from her eye.”
The superintendent got a first-aid kit from the car and rang 999.
Garda Gerard Carmody said the crowd were shouting things like “fuck off guards” to them and he saw a firework explode.
He agreed with Michael Doyle, defending, that the scene was of “complete chaos” and “something approaching anarchy”.
The trial continues.
