Detective awarded €200k for dog attack

A detective garda, who thought he would die when he was viciously attacked by two pitbull terriers, has been awarded €200,000 damages against the State in the High Court.

Mr Justice Bernard Barton said he was satisfied that Detective Garda John Leahy, aged 52, suffered an exacerbation of a degenerative condition in his back and left hip which required surgery.

The State had claimed that it accepted the incident may have exacerbated Det Garda Leahy’s back condition, but denied that it was sufficient enough to result in surgery.