Ex-garda assaulted and dragged to river by ‘enormous semi-naked’ man

A retired garda, who feared for his life when he was assaulted and dragged towards a river by an “enormous semi-naked” man, was yesterday awarded €80,000 compensation in the High Court.

Ms Justice Carmel Stewart said during a Garda Compensation hearing that former garda Michael Power had been left with physical and psychological injuries following the assault in Cahir, Co Tipperary, on August 30, 2002.

Mr Power, aged 58, had told the court that he had been patrolling Cahir in a garda car with colleague Garda Tom Kelly that night, when they received a call about a semi-naked man acting violently in the town. The court heard that the man had damaged a number of vehicles by putting his fists through car windows.