Grandmother (41) bit garda and spat in his face as she was being escorted to court

By Francis Carroll, The Drogheda Independent

A 41-year-old grandmother who bit a garda outside a courtroom and spat in his face has been jailed for 9 months after pleading guilty to assault causing harm.

The officer was escorting Marta Hopkins to Dundalk Court when the incidents occurred on November 25, 2022.

The defendant, a native of Poland, who has addresses in Co. Cavan, has been living in a Dublin hostel since her release from Mountjoy Prison’s Dóchas Centre last April, a sentence hearing at Dundalk Circuit Court was told.

Counsel for the accused said that she had stopped taking medication against medical advice but is complying again.

Sgt Cathal Buggy gave evidence that Gda Keith Maguire had taken Ms Hopkins to Dundalk Courthouse. She began shouting and singing loudly outside one of the courtrooms.

She shouted louder and the garda attempted to move her. She bit his dominant right arm, holding the bite for a number of seconds and leaving teeth marks. The skin was not broken.

The defendant began laughing. While being brought to the cells she turned and spat directly in the officer’s face, getting him on the eyes, nose and hair. She again started laughing.

When interviewed about what happened, Ms Hopkins, a mother of four, said that she had memory problems.

"I don’t think he would lie. Maybe I got a seizure,” she added.

The defendant was shown the CCTV. She said she saw three people on her.

"I’m okay. I don’t know how I survived.”

She continued that she didn’t remember. She was sorry.

There are 35 previous convictions, including 15 for assault.

Gda Maguire read out a Victim Impact Statement. He still didn’t understand why Marta Hopkins assaulted him on two occasions.

He said he still sees the anger and malice in her face. It was worrying while waiting for the result of blood tests.

He added that he had never been involved in an unprovoked incident of this nature.

Counsel for Ms Hopkins, who had the assistance of an interpreter, handed into court two reports, and said that she had fallen from a bunk bed aged 5 and “slept for two days afterwards”.

The defendant was involved in a traffic collision in 2019.

She was not trying to excuse her client’s behaviour but there is a neurological and medical background.

Judge Dara Hayes remarked that the district court’s refusal of jurisdiction in this case was entirely in order, after the DPP directed summary disposal.

Gardaí are entitled to be protected while on duty of attacks of this nature.

Thankfully, there were not more serious injuries, Judge Hayes continued.

There was “some degree of bizarreness” to the incident.

An 18-month sentence was imposed, the final 9 months suspended for 12 months.