Suspended sentence for assaulting garda during court sitting

COURTOWN MAN JUMPED FROM WITNESS BOX AND PUNCHED GARDA IN THE FACE DURING FAMILY LAW CASE AT GOREY COURTHOUSE

A man who jumped from the witness box at Gorey Courthouse and punched a member of An Garda Síochána in front of the Judge was back at the scene of the crime last week, this time facing a charge of assault.

A bench warrant was issued earlier in the day for Ryan Armstrong (30) of 11 Beachside Gardens, Courtown, when he failed to appear when called, however, he later arrived at the courthouse and the bench warrant was vacated.

Armstrong pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Raymond Moore during a family law case being heard by Judge Gerard Haughton on October 25 last. The court heard that on the day in question, Armstrong leaped from the witness box and punched Garda Moore in the face. The garda subsequently had bruising but has made a full recovery.

A barrister speaking on behalf of Armstrong told the court that her client was giving evidence in an extremely emotive family law case which involved his children. She said that, by his own admission, he had ‘lost the head’ and was ‘deeply apologetic’ for his actions.

She said that on the day, Judge Haughton had rightly directed for Armstrong to be taken to the cells, however, while there her client became ‘extremely distressed’.

She said that Armstrong had suffered ‘a form of breakdown’ and was now getting treatment for anger management issues, attending Tara House regularly and also engaging with the Cornmarket Project.

She said that Armstrong was currently in a dire situation as he and his wife had lost their home last month. He has the possibility of securing work in Dublin and he would be anxious to take that opportunity the barrister said.

Presiding over the case, visiting Judge Kevin Staunton heard that Armstrong had previous for assault and production of an article in a dispute going back as far as 2009.

‘Given his previous, it seems that he does have a problem with anger management,’ the Judge said. ‘It’s quite clear that he did “lose it”. His actions were over the top and unacceptable. He did report to a psychiatric hospital in the next couple of days and it’s good to see that he recognises his difficulties.’

Having considered the blatant nature of the crime, but also the steps Armstrong had taken to address his issues, Judge Staunton handed down a two month prison sentence, suspended for six months on condition that he continue to engage with anger management services.