Two gardaí have been found to be in breach of discipline for driving away from a man who had collapsed on the ground complaining of chest pains.
Seamus Duffy collapsed after being stopped by gardaí at a traffic checkpoint in Ballybofey, Co Donegal, on April 7th last.
Mr Duffy initially refused to get out of the car after gardaí found that his car tax disc was out of date by two months.
The car, with Mr Duffy’s medication inside, was then seized by gardaí. A few minutes later, Mr Duffy collapsed to the ground clutching his chest. Passers-by called an ambulance and Mr Duffy, who has a heart condition, was taken to hospital. Gardaí later delivered Mr Duffy’s medication to his home.
Garda Ombudsman
Mr Duffy (50) from Railway Road in Killygordon, complained to the
Garda Ombudsman Commission
about the incident.
In his letter to GSOC, Mr Duffy claimed that one of the gardaí even threatened to use pepper spray on him.
“I got out of the car and I informed them that I was still feeling unwell, but [one of the gardaí] replied ‘So what’. I told them I was unable to walk due to feeling unwell, then I was told to get a taxi.
“They took possession of my car. I collapsed onto the grass as I was not well and as I was lying on the grass they drove past me. They didn’t care if I died. If it was not for the witnesses there I would not have got help,” claimed Mr Duffy in his letter to the Garda Ombudsman.
Verbally abused
On May 24th last, the Garda Ombudsman decided that two aspects of Mr Duffy’s complaint were to be investigated. They included that he had been verbally abused by one of the gardaí.
It also ordered that an investigation be carried out into his claim that gardaí drove past him after he had collapsed and was lying on the ground and did not seek any assistance for him.
On June 19th the Garda Ombudsman ordered then Buncrana-based Garda Supt Andrew Archbold to investigate the complaint.
On November 18th last, Donegal’s Garda Chief Supt Terry McGinn wrote to Mr Duffy informing him that both gardaí had been found to be in breach of discipline. The investigation file was then referred back to the Garda Ombudsman. The Ombudsman then wrote to Mr Duffy again on November 28th last informing him that both gardaí had been found to be in breach of discipline.