A garda accused of assaulting three "Reclaim the Streets" protesters told a jury that he accepted he had hit one of them on the head and had used excessive force.
Garda Donal Corcoran said it was not his intention to deliberately injure the protester, nor to make contact with his head, and when the case was over he would apologise to him.
Garda Corcoran told the jury he knew people call him "Robocop" and "Terminator" and said the image of him as a cold unfeeling person did not sit well with him.
"It does not represent the person I want to be nor the person I was brought up to be," he said when giving evidence in his defence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
"I am the public face of Mayday. Ever since May 2002 my whole life has been about Mayday," he added in reply to his counsel, Mr Patrick J. McCarthy SC.
Garda Corcoran, of Mountjoy Garda station, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault causing harm to Mr Oisín Breen, Butterfield Park, Rathfarnham, Ms Katie Crean, New Cabra Road, Dublin, and Mr Brian Hayden, Knockmore Grove, Tallaght, on May 6th, 2002.
Garda Corcoran also told the jury that, contrary to what he had been told in Garda training, there was no Garda plan in place that day for dealing with the demonstration. His sergeant received an urgent call for assistance shortly after 6 p.m. This was a very rare call and was reserved for when gardaí were under threat or attack.
After arriving in Dame Street with his sergeant and another garda, Garda Corcoran told the jury, he had received an order from the inspector in charge to remove protesters from the street, as they were sitting down and blocking traffic.
Garda Corcoran said he had just moved a number of people to the pavement when he heard someone shouting "Stop, you f****** bastards".
He turned in the direction of where the shout came from and saw a man he now knew to be Mr Hayden jumping in the air and giving what he perceived to be a flying kick to gardaí surrounding him.
He intervened and pulled Mr Hayden away with the intention of restraining him, but then perceived him to be lunging at a nearby garda with his hand outstretched.
He felt Mr Hayden was attempting to punch his colleague so he drew his baton with the intention of bringing it down on the outstretched arm.
He accepted that he had in fact hit Mr Hayden's head with the baton and that he had used excessive force in his dealing with him.
He said there was a lot of movement at the time, and it was never his intention to make contact with Mr Hayden's head.
"No one regrets this more than me. I did not deliberately try and injure Brian Hayden. I am not saying this because I may lose my job or go to prison. I will apologise to Mr Hayden when all this is over," Garda Corcoran said.
He also denied assaulting Ms Crean. He accepted that he was in the line of gardaí who moved protesters in to Anglesea Street but said he did not strike her.
He told the jury he was certain of this because she had said in her evidence that she fell to the ground after she was struck and he did not see any female fall in front of him in Anglesea Street.
He further denied assaulting Mr Oisín Breen.
He admitted he was at the junction of Parliament Street when Mr Breen was assaulted and he noted approximately seven gardaí surrounding protesters.
He went towards the group with his baton raised when Mr Breen "bolted past him with his head in his hands."
He said in reply to Mr McCarthy's question if he had struck Mr Breen: "I did not strike him whatsoever."
Garda Corcoran told the jury there was no plan in place for dealing with the demonstration.
He said that in Garda training they were told they would be briefed fully before they would be expected to control any crowd in the course of their duties and individuals assigned to specific duties. There were no such preparations made on the day.
"I went out on a day's work not anticipating this event and now I am here in the dock trying to defend myself.
"There are not many people who have to do that in a day's work," he said.
In cross-examination by Mr Tom O'Connell SC, prosecuting, Garda Corcoran said no order had been given by any senior officer to draw batons.
He accepted Mr O'Connell's comment that: "In fact it was quite the contrary. A senior officer asked gardaí to put away their batons."
The trial continues.