Assaulted taxi driver and bit garda on arm

A 27- year- old student who tried to get out of a taxi without paying ended up assaulting the taxi driver and biting a garda outside Sligo Garda Station. Donncha Hassey from Co. Tipperary was given a four month prison sentence by Judge Kevin Kilrane for assaulting garda Noel O’Donnell causing him harm at Pearse Road on September 30th 2015. Mr McCormack told the court he was bringing the defendant to Glencarrick when he started saying he was driving too slow. When they were near the hospital he noticed the defendant opening the back door. “I pulled the car in and asked why he was opening the door and told him put on his seatbelt. He started calling me all sorts of names and said I was a child molester it was getting worse so I turned the car around and brought him to the garda barracks. When he got out he threw a swipe at me with his fist to the side of my head.” Garda O’Donnell came out of the station and Hassey attempted to make a run for it. When the guard was trying to restrain Hassey he bit him on the arm, Mr McCormack said. “Three or four gardaí then brought him into the station. I was only doing my job trying to get him home safe. I haven’t driven a taxi since. I was only trying to earn a living.” Mr McCormack said he suffered depression since the incident and his marriage had split up. Defending solicitor Ms Laura Spellman said Hassey had furnished letters of apology to both injured parties. A statement read out from garda O’Donnell indicated the letter was too little too late as it took nearly a year to arrive. He was off work for three weeks due to the injury sustained and tablets he was taking to prevent infection on the bite were making him sick. “I’ve been getting flashbacks questioning what I could have done better,” adding he was uneasy leaving the station. He