McManamon: ‘I was reacting to being hit in testicles’

A former Dublin football player accused of breaking an off-duty garda’s jaw during a football match has said he was reacting to his opponent hitting him in his testicles first.

Brendan McManamon, aged 31, was giving evidence in his defence yesterday on the fourth day of his trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where he is charged with assault causing harm.

Mr McManamon, of Cypress Downs, Templeogue, has pleaded not guilty to the assault on former Longford player and garda Enda Ledwith at Na Fianna GAA Club, St Mobhi Rd, Glasnevin, on March 31, 2012.

The trial has heard that Garda Ledwith’s jaw was broken during the last 10 minutes of a match between Na Fianna and St Jude’s of Templeogue. Garda Ledwith was playing for the home team, while the accused was with St Jude’s.

Mr McManamon told his counsel, Breffni Gordon, he had been playing Gaelic football for St Jude’s since the age of five.

He testified that he had played thousands of games and had been on the Dublin senior panel during 2008 and 2009. He still played with St Jude’s, he added.

Mr McManamon said he was playing left corner forward on the day in question and that Garda Ledwith was marking him quite closely.

He was asked to watch footage of the match being played frame by frame, and to explain what was happening. “That’s Enda following me across,” he said. “The two of us are facing each other. I’m facing the goal and ball. This is where he draws his left hand back to strike me.”

Mr McManamon said Garda Ledwith then struck him between his legs, hitting his testicles. “As soon as he hit me, I reacted,” he said. “I swung my right hand out there in defence, in self-defence, as a reaction to being hit.”

He said that he told the referee Garda Ledwith had hit him first. “I was in a lot of pain at that stage,” he said. “He gave me a red card and I walked off the pitch.”

Mr McManamon agreed that he admitted from the start to hitting Garda Ledwith, causing his broken jaw.

The case continues.