A garda sergeant and former GAA senior county footballer with Co Mayo was awarded more than £50,000 compensation by the High Court yesterday for a knee injury.
Mr Justice Kinlen made the award to Sgt Brendan Heneghan (32) for the injury when the garda was assaulted while trying to arrest a man. While stationed at Clontarf Garda station on November 25th 1994, Sgt Heneghan said he had tried to arrest a man who was acting suspiciously. The man had pulled out a car stereo from his jacket and thrown it on the ground.
Sgt Heneghan said he was on a motorbike and in plain clothes. He identified himself as a garda. The man had resisted arrest and in a struggle Sgt Heneghan was kicked in the right knee and his back was injured.
His back injury had healed but due to his knee injury he could no longer play football or golf, had difficulty climbing stairs and playing with his two children. Bad weather affected the injury and he had intermittent pain.
Another knee injury in 1992 had cleared up and he was fully fit at the time of the 1994 injury and had hoped to resume playing football with the Mayo team.
Awarding compensation of £50,000 plus agreed special damages of £711.18, Mr Justice Kinlen said the garda had had trouble with both knees prior to the 1994 assault.
His doctor said the garda's right knee was normal at the time of the 1994 incident and the garda had said he was about to resume his football career.
Now Sgt Heneghan could no longer do motorbike duty and his injury was very painful in bad weather. He could wake up at night with stiffness of the knee and it was more probable than possible he would develop arthritis and might need further operations.