Ex-garda who was ‘viciously’ assaulted is awarded €45k
Peter Lynch, aged 56, of Lee Rd, Cork, told a Garda compensation hearing that on Sep 16, 2002, he had been with a colleague in a patrol van when they saw a woman and her son in front of their home.
Mr Lynch told his barrister Lorraine O’Sullivan that the man was “very intoxicated and agitated”, and he and his colleague had to get out of the van to try and calm him.
When the “angry and violent” man had been told he would be arrested if he did not calm down, his brother and father came out of the house and the gardaí were “viciously assaulted” by all four members of the family, which was not identified in court.
Mr Lynch said he was punched on his face and arms and struck on the head, shoulders, and back with a piece of timber. He said he felt his life was in danger as the father threatened to kill him.
Ms Justice Mary Irvine heard that the gardaí had managed to call for assistance, and three of the men were arrested, the other one having escaped.
Mr Lynch suffered an abrasion to his face and soft tissue injuries to his arms and back. He had been to his GP and was out of work for a week.
He said he later attended a psychiatrist because he had been unable to cope with the incident. He felt he had lost control of the situation and of his life, developing post-traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks.
Mr Lynch said he was prescribed anti-depressants but stopped taking them after a month because “it was like taking Smarties”.
Mr Lynch said he later developed a drinking problem but that he was now sober.
He claimed the assault had led to his decision to take voluntary retirement in 2008, after 30 years of service.
Judge Irvine, said she did not accept Mr Lynch’s decision to retire was due to the assault only. She said there was no mention of it on his application for early retirement.
The judge said she accepted Mr Lynch had been affected by the assault, but he had worked “day in and day out” after the incident and it had not been the “dominant feature” for his decision to retire.
She awarded him €45,000 compensation in relation to his physical and psychological injuries.
