A teenage girl who attacked a garda when her sister was stopped for driving without tax and insurance has been ordered to do 180 hours community service or face three months' detention.
The 17-year-old girl had been convicted in the Dublin Children's Court last February for assaulting a garda in Howth in January last year.
The teenager was also convicted on a breach of the peace charge in connection with the same incident.
The incident arose after gardaí stopped a car, in which the girl was a passenger, for having no tax or insurance.
The girl's sister, who was the driver, locked the car doors and refused to get out, it was alleged.
The defendant then alighted and attacked one of the gardaí with a kick to his groin and four punches to his face, the court was told.
Eventually she was restrained and handcuffed, during which time she verbally abused the gardaí calling them "f . . . ing child porno bastards".
In defence evidence the girl had claimed that she was dragged out of the car and pushed against the wall after she refused to be searched.
Her older sister, the driver of the car, claimed the girl had been treated "roughly" by the gardaí.
A third defence witness, a young woman who had also been a passenger in the car, denied that her friend had attacked the garda or had called him names.
However the court had also heard that on the date of the hearing gardaí were threatened and intimidated by persons associated with the girl.
The court heard of threats that the garda would be shot and these people knew what type of car he had.
The garda had also told the court that these individuals had followed him in the recent past, and he had been warned against giving evidence.
The girl had been found guilty of the offences, and a probation report on her suitability for community service was ordered after the hearing.
Judge William Early said yesterday that the report had found her suitable, and ordered 180 hours community service.
The girl was warned that failure on her part to complete the community service to the satisfaction of the probation services would result in three months' detention.