A garda who was seriously injured when she went to arrest a drug addict at a house in Cork was awarded compensation of €345,290 and costs at the High Court yesterday. The case was brought against the State under the Garda Compensation Acts.
Garda Michelle O'Sullivan (33), who has since had to retire, was called with a number of colleagues to a fracas at a house in Ballincollig, Cork, on February 27th, 1999. The gardaí were requested to arrest a drug addict living there, but the man became violent.
In a reserved judgment, Mr Justice McMenamim said the upstairs room occupied by the man was set on fire and the bedroom was full of flames.
The man was on the floor kicking and biting anybody who came close to him.
Members of the man's family also became involved in what had evolved into a very violent incident.
In the course of this, Garda O'Sullivan was thrown or pushed down the stairs of the house which was dark as the electricity had been cut off.
She and her colleagues then came under attack from a number of the man's family and neighbours.
Ultimately, with the assistance of gardaí and firemen, she was able to escape.
She had attended several doctors and specialists and was deemed unfit for further garda service.
With the consent to the Chief Medical Officer of An Garda, she was ultimately retired on medical grounds on March 20th, 2003.
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