Man chased gardaí investigating domestic dispute back to patrol car with a machete

“I believe if we didn’t vacate the scene and call for support we would have been harmed,” one of the gardaí said in his victim impact statement

The court heard that both gardaí got into their car and reversed while keeping Kevin Barry in their sights. File picture: Larry Cummins

Two gardaí who were called to a domestic dispute in a suburb of Galway city retreated to the safety of their patrol car in fear for their lives when a man followed them with a machete, threatening to stab and kill both of them.

Members of the Armed Response Unit were quickly on the scene and were left with no option but deploy a taser to incapacitate the man when pepper spray failed to stop him in his tracks.