Gardaí seek man with brown dog in connection with Michael Healy-Rae assault

Michael Healy-Rae speaking in the town square in Bantry, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

Gardaí investigating the assault of Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae are searching for a man aged about 50, wearing glasses and accompanied by a “medium-sized brown dog”.

Garda Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Roberts said that Mr Healy-Rae’s assailant has yet to come forward, but that the force is “confident that it is only a matter of time before he is identified”.

Mr Healy-Rae was assaulted through his open car window while sitting in traffic on Cork Street in Dublin city centre just after 4pm on Wednesday afternoon.

Description of man sought

Speaking to the media on Thursday afternoon, Assistant Commissioner Roberts gave a detailed description of the assailant:

• A man approximately 50 years old, wearing glasses 
• Accompanied by a medium-sized brown dog 
• Carrying a bright yellow square-shaped carrier bag 
• Wearing a grey jacket over a two-tone top, with dark-coloured trousers

Assistant Commissioner Roberts said that gardaí are in possession of a “good CCTV image” of the man and called on him to “come forward now, in order that we can speak with him and deal with the matter”.

He said that gardaí would not be releasing that image, however.

Regarding the man’s motivations, he said that at present they remain “unclear”.

“Obviously Deputy Healy Rae is a well-known public figure, and the motivation cannot be ruled out that it was due to his role as an elected representative. But we can't be certain of that,” he said.

Asked whether or not the fact Mr Healy-Rae was driving a car branded with his own image had contributed to the incident, the assistant commissioner said that “it's a fact of public life that politicians may wish to use vehicles that are branded in that nature, and we would say absolutely nothing to discourage that”.

Gardaí urge public to share evidence 

He added that those posting videos of the incident, or of any other matter which could be the subject of criminal investigation, “is generally speaking best not done”.

“Send An Garda Síochána any evidence that you have, and allow us to process it, and we will investigate then on it,” he said.