A member of An Garda Síochána, who thought he would die when attacked by two pit bull terriers, has been awarded €207,526 damages against the State.
High Court judge Mr Justice Bernard Barton said in a reserved judgment he was satisfied that Det Garda John Leahy suffered an exacerbation of a degenerative condition in his back and left hip which required surgery after the incident.
The State claimed it accepted the incident may have exacerbated Det Garda Leahy’s back condition, but denied it was sufficient enough to require surgery.
Det Garda Leahy (52) told a Garda Compensation hearing that in June 2008 he was a member of the Divisional Drug Unit in Galway and had been patrolling in a car with Garda Orla Keenan when they noticed two known drug users near Wolfe Tone Bridge.
The court heard Det Garda Leahy and Garda Keenan followed them until they entered a house at St Dominic’s Road which was known as a place used where heroin was distributed.
Det Garda Leahy said that when they confirmed suspicious activity was going on inside, they waited for reinforcements and shouted “Garda Drug Unit” as they entered the house.
He said he saw a man put what he believed to be heroin in his mouth before going into a room where there was several other people.
Det Garda Leahy told his barrister, Bruce Antoniotti SC, that the light had been switched off in the room as he tried to search the man who resisted, causing both of them to fall.
Three dogs
The court heard that as the light was switched on again, the man had freed himself and three dogs, two pit bull terriers and a Yorkshire terrier, were released from another room. The pit bulls attacked Det Garda Leahy, biting him on the legs.
Det Garda Leahy said the dogs were extremely vicious, snarling, growling and ripping at his jeans and his flesh, particularly on his left calf. Garda Keenan, who burst into tears as she recalled the incident, said it was the worst thing she had seen in her life.
“It was horrific... The dogs were ripping open his leg. He was screaming and there was blood everywhere,” she said.
The court heard the gardaí eventually managed to remove one of the pit bulls by hitting it on the head with a baton.
Det Garda Leahy, after wrestling with the other dog for several minutes, had managed to lie on his back, holding the dog’s throat. He asked colleagues to call an ambulance. Judge Barton heard it took six gardaíto control the dogs.
Mr Antoniotti told the court Det Garda Leahy was taken to hospital where he required 100 stitches. The court heard the wounds left scars on his legs, he was out of work for a year and still suffers from mild symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.