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Two cousins whose attack on gardaí arresting another youth left a female garda suffering chronic back pain have been given consecutive custodial sentences at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Carl Cullen (20), of Dingle Road, Cabra was also sentenced for assaulting another garda who was trying to arrest him, for assaulting a man after a party and for a number of road traffic offences three years ago.
Paul Cullen (21), of Fassaugh Avenue, Cabra is serving a six year sentence imposed in February for storing almost €56,000 of cannabis resin to clear drug debts as he was in fear of his life after receiving a bullet in the post.
He claimed the garda assault occurred as he was “under stress” while on bail for the drugs offence.
Both men pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Amanda Lynch on November 30th, 2007. Paul Cullen also pleaded guilty to taking possession of an official garda weapon and Carl Cullen pleaded guilty to assaulting student Garda Zhihao Weng and to possession of a knuckle dusters on the same date.
Carl Cullen further pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Eamon Ryan on April 10th, 2008 and assaulting Joseph Kavanagh on August 26th, 2007. He also pleaded guilty to unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving and driving without insurance or a licence on January 30th, 2005.
Judge Katherine Delahunt imposed a three year sentence with the final 18 months suspended on Paul Cullen consecutive to the six year sentence he began earlier this year for the drugs offence.
She imposed consecutive sentences totalling six years on Carl Cullen with the final year suspended. Cullen was on bail for a previous assault at the time of the assault on Gda Lynch.
Gda Lynch was detained in hospital for 17 hours and passed blood in her urine for a week afterwards due to a spleen injury. She also suffered facial injuries and blurred vision as well as ongoing chronic back pain.
Gda Weng suffered facial injuries and was nervous about going back out on patrol
Gda Ryan told Judge Delahunt that he suffered a broken nose, bruises to his face and a cut to his arm after Carl Cullen assaulted him and grabbed his baton while he was trying to arrest him in April 2008.
