A WOMAN and two men have been jailed for eight months for their part in a riot which saw an armed garda violently assaulted.
One of the men, Noel Poynton (22), Dublin Road, Castlepollard, Westmeath, is a soldier with peacekeeping medals from serving overseas, including in Chad.
He pleaded guilty at Mullingar District Court to violent disorder and to assaulting Garda Joseph Kenny, who was set upon by a group in Delvin, Co Westmeath on December 17th, 2008.
The court heard Garda evidence that Noel Poynton and a juvenile ran fighting across the road in front of an unmarked Garda car as it entered the village to deal with a separate incident.
Garda Kenny and Sgt Adrian Regan dealt with the pair and were sending them home when Tracey Poynton (20), Turin, Bracklyn, Mullingar, intervened, shouting and screaming and insisting that gardaí leave them alone.
Noel Poynton, who had left, returned and told Garda Kenny, who was dressed in his official raid jacket, to “Let go, or I’ll bite the nose off your face”. He began hitting and kicking the garda, who was restraining the younger man.
When Garda Kenny caught Noel Poynton, a number of others began kicking and boxing the garda. Other gardaí arrived and came on what Judge David Anderson said was effectively a riot. Using his baton, Sgt Brian Monaghan managed to disperse the hostile crowd and remove Poynton from his colleague.
Garda Kenny said he was “completely helpless, and overpowered” by the crowd. Both Poyntons and 21-year-old Stephen Anderson of Billistown, Delvin, pleaded guilty to violent disorder, and assault charges against all but Noel Poynton were dropped.
Judge Anderson said “no member of An Garda Síochána should be subject to this type of behaviour”, and gardaí were “entitled to every protection the court can give”. He handed down an eight-month sentence for violent disorder to each and a four-month concurrent sentence to Noel Poynton for assaulting Garda Kenny.