Man jailed for punching garda who told him he could not drink alcohol in Cork city park

The court heard that it required four gardaí to arrest the defendant

Thomas Stone said he did not have cans of alcohol in his bag in Bishop Lucey Park. He said it was a Centra bag with a sandwich and some snacks. File picture: Eddie O'Hare

A garda sergeant responding to drinking on a park bench on a summer afternoon in Cork was punched twice in the face by a middle-aged man.

Evidence was given during a case that was contested at a two-hour hearing in Cork District Court that it took four gardaí to arrest him. Now this culprit, Thomas Stone, who is originally from Portlaw, County Waterford, has been sentenced to a 10-month jail term after he was convicted of assault causing harm to Sergeant Mark Leonard.