A High Court judge has criticised the Garda authorities for not acting swiftly enough to allay the fears of gardai attacked by people who may have AIDS, HIV or hepatitis.
Because of delays in getting a blood specimen from such assailants, the Garda victims were forced to undergo a series of blood tests and to wait six months to get the all-clear or otherwise, Mr Justice Budd said.
This caused gardai and their families considerable stress and anxiety and only added to the amount taxpayers had to pay in compensation to the Garda victims, he added.
Mr Justice Budd said he had already written to the President of the High Court regarding the matter, suggesting that the Garda authorities should intervene quickly. The problem was going to happen again and again until the Garda authorities did something about it.
The judge made the remarks while dealing with Garda compensation claims yesterday. Seven gardai and one former member were awarded a total of £105,000.
Sgt Thomas Deery, who was knocked to the ground and almost choked to death by a "berserk man" when he went to investigate a row outside a school disco in Raheny, Dublin, in December 1993, broke down as he told the court of the incident.
Sgt Deery said he temporarily lost consciousness when he was knocked to the ground, struck in the eye and kicked by some of a "mob" of 30 to 40 people. He was outraged but also felt very vulnerable because of what happened.
Awarding him £20,000, Mr Justice Budd said the incident was a life-threatening one and left the garda with a drooping eyelid.
Sgt Gabriel Hanlon, who suffered head and arm injuries when his patrol car was rammed by a stolen BMW at Chapelizod Bridge, Dublin, also received £20,000.
An award of £15,000 was made to Garda John Sheridan whose patrol car was rammed by a 14-year-old car thief in Clondalkin, Dublin in February 1993. The court heard the incident attracted a lot of media attention when the Garda patrol car was "ambushed" by a crowd of 150 to 200, breaking every window in the car.
An award of £10,000 was given to Longford Garda James Gill, who sustained back, eye and knee injuries when he went to arrest two young men involved in a fracas in the town in November 1994.
Sgt Terence Brennan, who was bitten on the hand by a man on drugs, was awarded £9,000.