Gardaí sought backup for fight at club

Gardaí were forced to call for backup and had to use pepper spray and batons after a young woman and her godmother fought at a sports club.

Gardaí had to summon backup from other Garda stations as Sharieen McCrudden and her aunt Michelle Gallagher argued at Sean MacCumhaills GAA Club in Ballybofey, Co Donegal, in Dec 2011.

There had been bad blood between the pair after an incident following the death of Ms McCrudden’s brother.

Gardaí were called to the disturbance but had to call for reinforcements when other fights broke out. They were forced to draw their batons and use pepper spray as the crowd turned on them.

Ms McCrudden, aged 21, of Kinletter, Ballybofey, Co Donegal, appeared before yesterday’s sitting of Letterkenny District Court, charged with assault, a breach of the peace, affray and being drunk and disorderly on Dec 11.

Solicitor Lisa Finnegan told the court that there was a lot of history to the case.

She said there had been bad blood between the pair since Ms McCrudden’s brother Gavin had taken his life by suicide. There had even been a difficulty when it came to buying funeral wreaths, she said.

She said her client had been on medication for depression and when this had been mixed with alcohol it had caused her problems.

She said the events of the night had sounded a lot worse than they were and not all the disturbances involved her client.

She pleaded with Judge Denis McLoughlin to be lenient as Ms McCrudden was doing a course in childcare and any conviction would damage her chances of future work.

Judge McLoughlin adjourned the case until Dec 16 for a probation report and said he may take a “certain approach” if McCrudden behaved herself.