Teenager bit arm of arresting garda

Arresting a teenager at large in Enniscorthy when he was supposed to be in a Dublin care home earned Garda Brian Kinsella a bite on the arm, the District Court learned.

The address of defendant Stephen Doyle was given in court paperwork as Hollybrook House, Artane when the case came before Judge Gerard Haughton.

However, the 19-year-old – who was 17 at the time of the incident – was found at 3 Father Murphy Close in Enniscorthy on August 29 in 2016.

Sergeant Brendan Moore told how he and his colleagues were called to assist care workers at the address which was the home of the young defendant’s mother, Anne Doyle.

Efforts were made to persuade the teenager to come away peacefully with the staff from Artane but in the end the gardaí moved to take him into their custody.

Garda Kinsella gave evidence of how young Doyle then pulled him and another garda to the ground where the defendant bit his arm.

The injured party told how he was left with a red mark and a bruise, which were treated with a tetanus injection by Doctor Pat Walsh.

The garda admitted he was stressed by the incident, not least because the defendant appeared to be under the influence of an intoxicant.

Judge Gerard Haughton imposed a four-month detention sentence, observing that he saw no point in considering community service or suspending the sentence.

Before the court in addition was a series of burglary charges relating to break-ins at premises including Enniscorthy greyhound track, Kehoe’s pub and the barber shop in Templeshannon.

Also visited was the River Restaurant in Market Square, an offence which merited four months concurrent, with the other burglaries marked ‘ taken into consideration’.