Garda Trevor Bolger receives suspended sentence for assaulting then wife

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

Trevor Bolger, a former Ballymun-based garda, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Friday after pleading guilty to assaulting his then wife, Margaret Loftus, in 2012. Judge Martina Baxter imposed a three-month prison sentence and suspended it in full, subject to strict conditions.

The court heard that Bolger hit Loftus on the back and grabbed her hair in her childhood bedroom after a family event in Co Mayo. The assault ended their marriage the following day. Loftus said the criminal justice process had been deeply damaging and urged victims of domestic violence to come forward.

Judge Baxter said Bolger’s position as a garda represented a breach of trust and that he was held to a higher standard. She said a custodial sentence was not required because he had publicly recognised his wrongdoing. The court also heard he had joined a programme for men who use violence, with a course due to begin in February.