Retired Garda awarded €50k for PTSD suffered after siege

A retired garda, who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder following an armed siege in Ramelton, Co Donegal, 19 years ago, was awarded €50,000 compensation.

Mr Justice Bernard Barton said the incident, in which shots had been fired over the heads of some gardaí, had “sparked off” a set of emotions in Garda Pat Cavanagh as he had never experienced throughout all of his service on the border with the North during the Troubles.

Barrister Desmond Dockery, for Mr Cavanagh, told the court that although he had dealt with numerous incidents involving fatalities, he had not previously been psychologically affected by them.