5-year jail plan for garda attacks rejected

The Government has decided to reject legislation from Fianna Fáil which calls for an automatic five-year prison sentence for assaults on emergency service personnel.

The bill, introduced by Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Dara Calleary, sought to bring in a mandatory minimum five-year sentence for such offences.

“We are all very familiar with the very sad scenes of drink and drug-fuelled violence in towns, cities, and localities across the country which emergency workers have to confront every day and night,” Mr Calleary told the Dáil.