Garda awarded €94k for knee injury during arrest

A garda and former dual GAA player has been awarded €94,000 damages at a Garda compensation hearing in the High Court.

Ms Justice Mary Irvine heard Garda Brian Begley, aged 33, of Meadow Lawn, Raheen, Limerick, was hurt when apprehending a man described as “extremely drunk” outside a Limerick pub on Jul 26, 2003.

Barrister Paul McMorrow told the court Garda Begley suffered torn ligaments in his right knee, which forced him to give up his inter-county sporting career.

Garda Begley had three operations on his knee, but was still engaged in hurling at inter-club level.

Garda Begley said he was 23 at the time and would have expected to continue playing inter-county sport until 32 or 33. He had given up inter-county football in 2006 and hurling in 2007.

“It was not an easy decision to take because I had played all my life,” he said.

Counsel for the State said the finance minister accepted Garda Begley’s injuries had been inflicted maliciously but they exacerbated an underlying condition.

Judge Irvine said the underlying condition had not manifested itself in Garda Begley’s other knee and it was likely that, without the assault, he could have kept playing at the highest level.