Garda suing colleague for €60k after late-night assault in pub which left him with broken nose

Garda told the court his colleague had, completely unprovoked, punched him in the nose and broken it, leaving him covered in blood

Garda Ronan O'Shaughnessy and his partner Garda Aisling Walsh at Dublin's Four Courts. Pictures: Collins Courts

A Garda unit’s night out ended with one of them having his nose broken by a colleague during an after- hours drinking session in a pub just under three years ago, a judge heard on Tuesday.

The Circuit Civil Court was told a group of gardaí from Lucan Garda Station had arranged a get-together after work on March 28, 2022, and there had been a romantic break-up between two of them, Garda Ronan O’Shaughnessy and his girlfriend, Probation Garda Aisling Walsh, while the group was having drinks in Cassidy’s pub, on Camden Street, in Dublin.

Judge Michael Walsh heard disputed claims alleging Garda Denis Lordan had pulled Garda Walsh’s ponytail while the group was having drinks around tables in the pub, and Garda O’Shaughnessy and Garda Walsh, who are now living together and expecting a baby, had a lover’s tiff and break-up on the night.

The party had moved on another pub, where, Garda Lordan told the court, Garda O’Shaughnessy had, completely unprovoked, punched him in the nose and broken it, leaving him covered in blood.

Garda Lordan is suing Garda O’Shaughnessy for €60,000 damages for assault arising from the incident and denied a suggestion by Garda O’Shaughnessy’s barrister John Nolan he had attempted to blackmail Garda O’Shaughnessy by having a solicitor send him a written undertaking to sign whereby the matter would go no further on payment of €20,000 damages.

Garda Denis Lordan leaving the Four Courts on Tuesday.

Garda O’Shaughnessy, in a defence to the €60,000 damages claim, alleged Garda Lordan had approached him at the bar and, while towering over and looking down at him, had made comments about the break-up with his girlfriend and tried to throttle him by grabbing and squeezing his throat.

He said he had just lashed out in self-defence and had struck Garda Lordan on the nose. Garda O’Shaughnessy told the court before the night had ended, he and Garda Walsh had made up their differences before the incident in the second pub had taken place.

Garda Lordan denied a suggestion by Mr Nolan he “had the hots for Garda Walsh” and had been jealous of Garda O’Shaughnessy. He said he had intended to speak to Garda O’Shaughnessy on Garda Walsh’s behalf but had not done so on the night. The punch had simply come from nowhere.

He told Mr Nolan he had not made a criminal complaint against Garda O’Shaughnessy because he did not want his colleagues to get into trouble about having been on licensed premises after hours. He had discussed the incident with Superintendent Paul Murphy, who had told him if a criminal complaint was made against Garda O’Shaughnessy, all of his colleagues who had been drinking after hours would be disciplined.

Judge Walsh said he would deliver judgment in the case on Wednesday morning.