Garda jailed for assaulting handcuffed teenager

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Garda Lorcan Murphy was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 3 February 2026 to three years in prison, with the final two years suspended for two years on strict conditions.

Murphy had pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault causing harm. A jury found him guilty on both counts by unanimous verdict after a trial in July 2025.

The assaults on the then 17-year-old took place on Essex Street and at Pearse Street Garda Station on 1 June 2021, during Covid-19 restrictions. The teenager suffered a fractured skull and a brain bleed and fully recovered, the report said.

Judge Pauline Codd said Murphy used unnecessary and disproportionate force against the handcuffed teenager. She said the Director of Public Prosecutions accepted that Murphy had acted recklessly rather than intentionally and was justified in initially arresting him.

During the trial, Murphy said the leg sweep used to bring the teenager to the ground was a legitimate containment technique he had been trained to use. He said the chest rub applied at the station was a first aid technique. The jury rejected those claims.

The judge accepted that Murphy was remorseful and had taken steps to ensure the teenager received medical attention. She made no order concerning €10,000 Murphy had offered the victim, saying it would not benefit him at that time because of his addiction issues. The court was told the teenager did not want to engage in restorative justice.

The sentencing proceedings were reported on 3 February 2026.