Off-duty garda assaulted in toilet of Mayo pub in row over a pint

An off-duty garda was assaulted in a pub toilet following a row over a pint.

Liam King, aged 36, of Drum, Co. Monaghan, pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm.

King and the injured party, David Kernan, aged 36, of Clonee, Dublin 15, were in Cosy Joe’s pub in Westport on March 5, 2022.

Garda Catriona Hastings told the court that gardaí were called to the pub following a report of an altercation.

The injured party was sitting outside with a swollen lip and face.

He also had a leg injury and was limping.

There had been an argument between the men over a drink with Mr. Kernan alleging that King had tried to drink his pint.

The victim told gardaí he encountered King again in the bathroom and was assaulted, receiving blows to his face and a knee injury.

King later told gardaí that he was struck first.

Mr. Kernan denied assaulting King in any way in the toilet.

It was stated in court that Mr. Kernan was kicked on the ground but this allegation was not included in his statement to gardaí.

Mr. King had been in Westport for a car rally and was identified via CCTV.

Mr. Kernan, who is a garda based in Clontarf, produced a victim impact statement.

He said he suffered physical injuries as well as psychological trauma. He also suffered a loss of income due to not being able to take up overtime.

King works as an electrician and is a father-of-one. He had €6,000 in court as a token of his remorse.

Barrister Patrick Murphy, representing King, said his client wished to apologise for his actions.

Judge Eoin Garavan said this type of incident can occur when people are “drinking and in this type of form."

He believed the victim was exaggerating the severity of some of his injuries and he was not satisfied that Mr. Kernan was kicked on the ground.

However, he accepted that the off-duty garda was the victim of an assault by a “thick man”.

“It was a bad episode of anger and temper on Mr. King’s part,” said Judge Garavan, who ordered King to carry out 120 hours of community service in lieu of 16 months in prison.

The judge also ordered the amount of compensation to be paid to the victim.

* Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.