Peppers prayed as garda chased him over fields

A 25- year- old man who was a passenger in a car that failed to stop for gardaí, ended up crashing and being pursued through fields before being pepper sprayed. Thomas Ward, with an address in Kilross, Ballintogher, was before the court on a public order charge at Ballygrania, Collooney on April 14th last. Garda Noel Darcy told the court he was on duty with a colleague on the date in question when they saw a car speeding towards their check- point in Collooney. It did not stop and Garda Darcy had to get out of the way. “The car took off at speed and it later crashed. The occupants were running through nearby fields and I pursued one of the occupants, Mr Ward.” He said he chased him for a half a mile or so through fields before going back on the road.

Ward was trying to get over a fence and seemed exhausted at this stage. “He was aggressive and asking why I was chasing him. He kept coming towards me and I used pepper spray on him.” Garda Darcy said they ran through four or five fields before going back on the road. He was telling Ward that he was going to be searched. There was a lot of traffic around as cars had stopped to see what was going on. “He was getting more aggressive and when I asked him to get down on the ground he said he wasn’t and asked why I was chasing him,” he said. “I felt it necessary to apply pepper spray, it was the only time in my career,” Garda Darcy said. Defending solicitor Mr Gerard McGovern said: “This man never lay a finger on the guard, yet he was pepper sprayed and knocked to the ground. This man was a passenger in a car he had no control over the vehicle, he was with so called friends who took off when they saw gardaí.” He added that when gardaí searched Mr Ward, they found no weapons or substances on him. “The only thing he did was run away, yet he was pepper sprayed,” Mr McGovern said. “He never caught you by the arm, the only thing he told you was that he was not getting down on the ground.” Judge Kevin Kilrane said he didn’t think the matter reached the threshold and struck out the case.