A garda unit's night out ended with one of them having his nose broken by a colleague in Ryan’s Bar in Dublin’s lower Camden Street just under three years ago, a judge has heard.
The Circuit Civil Court was told that a group of gardaí from Lucan Garda Station arranged a gathering after work on 28 March 2022.
The court heard during drinks in Cassidy’s Pub on Camden Street, there had been a romantic break-up between two gardaí - Garda Ronan O’Shaughnessy and Probation Garda Aisling Walsh.
Judge Michael Walsh heard disputed claims alleging Garda Denis Lordan had pulled Ms Walsh’s ponytail while the group was having drinks in the pub and that Mr O’Shaughnessy and Ms Walsh, who are now living together and expecting a baby, had a lover’s tiff and break-up on the night.
The group had moved on to Ryan’s Bar where Mr Lordan told the court Mr O’Shaughnessy had, completely unprovoked, punched him in the nose and broke it leaving him covered in blood.
Mr Lordan is suing Mr O’Shaughnessy for €60,000 in damages for assault arising from the incident.
He denied a suggestion by Mr O’Shaughnessy’s barrister John Nolan that he had attempted to blackmail Mr O’Shaughnessy by having a solicitor send him a written undertaking to sign whereby the matter would go no further on payment of €20,000 damages.
Mr O’Shaughnessy, in a defence to the €60,000 damages claim, alleged Mr Lordan had approached him at the bar in Ryan’s and, while towering over and looking down at him, made comments about the break-up and tried to throttle him by grabbing and squeezing his throat.
He said he had just lashed out in self defence and had struck Mr Lordan on the nose.
Mr O’Shaughnessy told the court that before the night had ended, he and Ms Walsh had made up their differences before the incident in Ryan’s Bar took place.
Ms Walsh, who did not attend the after hours session in Ryan’s Bar, said in court she had taken drink when, in Cassidy’s Bar earlier, she had probably overreacted to Mr O’Shaughnessy speaking to other girls, including an ex-girlfriend, and dancing.
Mr Lordan denied a suggestion by Mr Nolan, who appeared with Colm O’Cochlain Solicitors, that he "had the hots for Garda Walsh" and had been jealous of Mr O’Shaughnessy.
He said he had intended to speak to Mr O’Shaughnessy on Ms Walsh’s behalf but had not done so on the night.
The punch had simply come from nowhere, he said.
He said he had not made a criminal complaint against Mr O'Shaughnessy because he did not want his colleagues to get into trouble for having been on a licensed premises after hours.
He had discussed the incident with Superintendent Paul Murphy, who had told him that if a criminal complaint was made against Mr O’Shauaghnessy, all of his colleagues who had been drinking after hours would be disciplined.
Mr Lordan said that he had agreed to have a word with Mr O’Shaughnessy about the relationship but had not interacted with him before the punch.
He told Mr Nolan he had taken part in two fundraising white-collar boxing promotions, one of them after having had his broken nose straightened, under the title 'Denis D Destroyer Lordan’ but in both fights and in training had worn protective head gear.
Judge Walsh said he would deliver judgment in the case tomorrow morning.
