Jonathan Coelho and Federico Carvalho acquitted of assault

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

Jonathan Coelho and Federico Carvalho were acquitted of assaulting Garda Conor Murray at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Coelho was also acquitted of endangering the garda’s life. The proceedings were reported on 7 September 2020.

Both men had pleaded not guilty to assault causing harm to Garda Murray on 31 July 2019 at St Lukes’ Avenue, Dublin 8. Coelho had denied endangering him by dragging him through the passenger window.

Coelho had pleaded guilty to a number of dangerous-driving charges. He admitted driving at speed through red lights and in the wrong direction on Dublin city centre streets before crashing into a lamp post.

The jury returned unanimous verdicts after 18 minutes. Judge Melanie Greally discharged Carvalho from the indictment. She adjourned Coelho’s sentencing on the dangerous-driving charges until the following Friday and remanded him in custody.

Garda Murray told the trial that the men pulled him into the reversing car and struck him. Carvalho said in interview that he was terrified, had repeatedly told the driver to stop and had not hit the garda. Coelho’s counsel argued that the garda had propelled himself into the car and that the alleged kick was physically or mechanically impossible while Coelho controlled the car.