Michael Sheehan awarded €505,000 over assault by gardaí

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

A High Court jury awarded former League of Ireland player Michael Sheehan €505,000 in damages after finding that he was assaulted by gardaí. The proceedings were reported on 10 May 2023.

The jury found that gardaí used excessive and unreasonable force and that Mr Sheehan was assaulted in the back of a garda car and in the yard of Athlone Garda Station following his arrest. Mr Justice Alexander Owens also awarded him his legal costs against the State.

The judge placed a stay on the order in the event of an appeal to the Court of Appeal, conditional on the defendants immediately paying Mr Sheehan €75,000.

Mr Sheehan had sued the Garda Commissioner, the Minister for Justice and the State over an incident in Athlone on 3 June 2012. He said he was pepper sprayed, manhandled, struck on the back of the head and kneed in the back. The defendants denied assault, false imprisonment, negligence and breach of duty.

The State argued that two people with Mr Sheehan had been piggybacking in the street and causing a traffic hazard. It claimed he acted aggressively and was pepper sprayed after another person assaulted a garda. Mr Sheehan rejected the State's allegations. The court also heard that he was subsequently acquitted by a criminal court of committing any offence under the Public Order Act.