Sergeant dragged 100m while clinging to car

A garda has told a court that he feared for his life as stones hit his teeth and face while he was dragged for about 100m while hanging onto a car being driven by a drugs suspect.

Sgt John Walsh told Sligo Circuit Court that he feared his life was in danger as he was being dragged in the direction of a line of parked cars.

After being forced to release his grip to avoid the parked cars, Sgt Walsh had to swerve to avoid being hit by a patrol car which was chasing the suspect.

Tommy Corcoran, aged 22, of Ard an Mara, Cartron Point, Sligo, pleaded guilty to a charge of endangering Sgt Walsh on April 19, 2013. He also admitted possession of cannabis for the purpose of supply on the same date.

The court heard that gardaí were en route to the defendant’s home with a warrant when they saw him driving. When Sgt Walsh indicated that he was going to do a drugs search, the accused put the car into reverse and “took off at some speed”, while the garda was hanging on to the driver’s window.

After hearing Sgt Walsh’s victim impact statement, Judge Keenan Johnson commented that he “could have been killed”. He said that while gardaí frequently come in for criticism “some of it justified, a lot of it not justified”, they put their lives on the line to protect citizens.

The judge heard the accused had abandoned his car and ran into the mud flats at Sligo Bay, where he threw most of the contents of a bag into the sea. About €200 worth of cannabis was retrieved by gardaí.

Sgt Walsh, who was out of work for two months after the incident, told the court that he was still impacted by the injuries he sustained on that day, with both his work and leisure affected.

He told the court that the defendant was in “a dark and dangerous place” because of drug use at the time. However, he believed he the father of two young children had now turned a corner.

Sgt Walsh said he was still dealing with the fallout from the accused’s “split-second decision” but, for his own mental health, he had to forgive him.

Judge Keenan Johnson, who commended Sgt Walsh for his “restraint and magnanimity”, remanded the defendant in custody until October 26, when he will be sentenced.

The accused apologised in court to the sergeant, saying he was “extremely sorry”.

He said he had left the jurisdiction after the incident because he was scared, even though a two-year suspended sentenced he had previously received was still live.