Driver of car which dragged garda did not stop as not insured, court told

The driver of a car which reversed at speed dragging a garda along with it told officers after his arrest that he drove off because he had no insurance.

Garda Conor Murray has told the trial of Jonathan Coelho (29) and Federico Carvalho (31), who was a passenger in the car, that the two men repeatedly struck him as he struggled to prevent himself being thrown out of the car.

On day three of their trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court the jury heard evidence of Garda interviews with the two men.

The jury has heard the car was stopped at red lights when a Garda car flashed its lights. The car then broke the red lights and during a high speed chase drove dangerously around the city streets

In his interview Mr Coelho said that he didn’t stop the car for gardaí because he had no insurance.

“I was afraid. I was never in trouble with police before. My only mistake was insurance,” he said.

He said he doesn’t remember crashing the car, saying “it was too fast”. He denied punching or kicking Gda Murray while he was half way inside the moving car.

“I didn’t hit anyone. I would never attack police. I didn’t hurt or try to kill anyone. I’m not dangerous” he said.

He told gardaí­ that after the crash the accelerator was stuck and that caused the car to reverse at speed. He claimed he wasn’t pressing the accelerator.

Keith Spencer BL told the jury that it was not a part of his client’s defence that the accelerator was struck.

Mr Coelho of Duleek, Co Meath and Mr Carvalho of Blessington Street, Dublin have pleaded not guilty to charges of assault causing harm to Gda Murray of July 31st 2019 at St Luke’d Avenue, Dublin 8.

Mr Coelho has pleaded guilty to a number of charges of dangerous driving. He admits driving at speed through red lights and in the wrong direction along busy streets in Dublin city centre before crashing into a lamp post. He denies a charge of endangerment of Gda Murray.

In his interview Mr Carvalho said that he repeatedly told the driver to stop the car. He said he was terrified and was holding on. He said when the car crashed a garda used a baton to break the passenger window before jumping in through the window.

He said the garda was struggling with the driver. He denied hitting the garda and said he would never hurt anybody. The trial continues before Judge Melanie Greally and a jury.