Woman hit garda over mistaken ‘slapper’ slur

The word “slap” triggered a chain of events that saw a woman slapping a garda across the face because she mistakenly thought that the guard had referred to her as a slapper.

Samantha McCarthy, 21, formerly of 65 Thomas Davis Street, Cork, and now living in Kilkenny, pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Kieran O’Callaghan, being threatening and abusive and being drunk and a source of danger to herself or others.

Judge Leo Malone imposed a two-month suspended jail sentence on her for the assault.

Inspector Bill Duane said gardaí arrested McCarthy at Grand Parade, Cork, on the night of Jun 25, 2012, for her part in a disturbance.

“While waiting for a Garda van to arrive to convey her to the Garda station, Garda O’Callaghan queries blood marks on her face and asked was she slapped.

“She responded by saying, ‘Are you calling me a slapper?’ She then hit Garda O’Callaghan,” the inspector said.

McCarthy had a number of previous convictions for public order offences.

Joseph Cuddigan, solicitor, said: “It was a most unfortunate incident. Due to her own intoxication and the manner in which the guard spoke to his colleague, asking, ‘did he slap her?’, she interpreted that as saying she was a slapper.

“And she slapped the guard for what she construed as a gross insult to her dignity,” Mr Cuddigan added.