A garda said she curled up in a ball and threw herself under the dashboard of a squad car when a gun was levelled at her, the High Court heard yesterday.
The incident occurred only four weeks after Garda Marie Twohig, of Raheen, Limerick, had been injured and spat on in a vicious attack, sparking fears she might contract hepatitis C or HIV.
She told her barrister, Eoin Murnaghan, in the Garda Compensation Hearings that the attacks occurred a month after taking up street duty with the Garda.
Mr Justice Kevin Feeney said the fact that the gun had turned out to have been an imitation firearm was of no relevance to the psychological injuries. Garda Twohig had suffered as a result of it having been pointed at her. She had suffered sleeplessness and nightmares. He awarded her €30,000 damages.