This article is from page 4 of the 2013-12-31 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
A FORMER fisherman who was pepper sprayed three times by gardaí as he tried to evade arrest, received a seven month suspended sentence for obstructing Gardaí and criminal damage at the last hearing of Kilrush District Court in 2014.
Judge Patrick Durcan said he “thought spray was more affective than that” as he listened to the evidence against Colin Haugh (24), 7 Barrack Road, Kilkee.
The court heard that just before 2am on July 7, 2013 Mr Haugh left O’Mara’s Public House carrying a chair over his head, walked down the street and smashed it into the wall of the AIB bank.
Garda Conor Flaherty gave evidence that he and his colleague Gda Heather McGovern were on duty on the night in question. They asked Mr Haugh to return the chair and for his details.
“He told me to I knew who he was and to f*@k off. He then pushed me backwards and started punching at us,” said Gda Flaherty.
The gardaí used pepper spray on the defendant. They then restrained him on the ground and he was sprayed again by Gda McGovern.
Mr Haugh broke free and ran down the alleyway and was chased by Gda Flaherty.
“I used my personal issued baton on his legs and he fell to the ground,” said the garda, adding that Mr Haugh was again sprayed.
Solicitor for the defence Fiona Hehir said that her client was not currently working, but previously worked as a fisherman and for a carpenter.
“On the day of the incident he had broken up with his long term girl- friend,” she said adding that he also apologised to Gardaí and paid the € 30 cost for the damage to the chair. Mr Haugh had 11 previous convictions. Ms Hehir said the convictions go back to 2011 when he worked in Kinsale. Judge Durcan sentenced him to three months in prison for the damage to the chair and four months for obstructing Gardaí in the line of their duty.
He suspended both sentences for two years.
Judge Durcan said he wanted to cut out “thickish boozy behaviour” in Clare as much as he possibly could.