€12,000 for mother pepper-sprayed by gardaí

A 32-year-old Dublin mother who was pepper-sprayed by gardaí when they seized her car and arrested her, has been awarded damages in the Circuit Civil Court for defamation and assault.

Judge James O’Donohue said that, while he had no doubt Sharon Joyce had been very abusive and had attempted to hit Garda Dylan Brady and Garda Barry Cashman, “the use of pepper spray should only be used as a very last resort”.

He said in a reserved judgment yesterday that the two gardaí had been entitled to seize Ms Joyce’s car as it had no tax and NCT for a long time and was not registered in her name.