A garda accused of assaulting three "Reclaim the Streets" protesters has told a jury that he accepted he had hit one of them on the head and had used excessive force.
Garda Donal Corcoran said it was not his intention to deliberately injure the protestor nor to make contact with his head and when the case was over he would apologise to him.
Gda Corcoran told the jury he knew people call him 'Robocop' and 'Terminator' and that the image of him as a cold unfeeling person does not sit well with him.
"It does not represent the person I want to be nor the person I was brought up to be.", he said when giving evidence in his defence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
"I am the public face of Mayday. Ever since May 2002, my whole life has been about Mayday," he added in reply to his counsel Mr Patrick J McCarthy SC.
Garda Corcoran, of Mountjoy Garda Station, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault causing harm to Mr Oisin Breen, Butterfield Park, Rathfarnham, Ms Katie Crean, New Cabra Road, Dublin 7 and Mr Brian Hayden, Knockmore Grove, Tallaght on May 6th, 2002.
Garda Corcoran also told the jury that contrary to what he had been told in garda training, there was no garda plan in place that day for dealing the demonstration.
His sergeant received an urgent call for assistance shortly after 6pm. This was a very rare call and was only reserved for when gardai were under threat or attack.
After arriving on Dame Street with his sergeant and another garda, Garda Corcoran told the jury that he had received an order from the inspector in charge to physically remove protesters from the street, as they were sitting down and blocking traffic.
Garda Corcoran said he had just moved a number of people to the pavement when he heard someone shouting "Stop you fucking bastards."
He turned in the direction of where the shout came from and saw a man he now know to be Mr Hayden jumping in the air and giving what he perceived to be a flying kick to members of the gardai surrounding him.
He intervened and pulled him away with the intention of restraining him but then perceived him to be lunging at a nearby garda with his hand outstretched.
He felt he was attempting to punch his colleague so he drew out his baton with the intention of bringing it down on the outstrechted arm.
Garda Corcoran accepted that he had in fact hit Mr Hayden's head with the baton and that he had used excessive force in his dealing with him.
He said there was a lot of movement at the time and it was never his intention to make contact with Mr Hayden's head.
"No one who regrets this more than me. I did not deliberately try and injure Brian Hayden. I am not saying this likely or because I may loose my job or go to prison. I will apologise to Mr Hayden when all this is over."