Garda who is accused of using baton at protest is identified

A woman who claims she was struck on the back of the head with a baton during the May 2002 Reclaim the Streets demonstration …

A woman who claims she was struck on the back of the head with a baton during the May 2002 Reclaim the Streets demonstration has identified Garda Donal Corcoran as the perpetrator.

Garda Corcoran, of Mountjoy Garda station, is also accused of assaulting two other demonstrators on the same occasion. He has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court 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.

Ms Crean told Mr Seán Gillane, prosecuting, that she saw a uniformed garda whom she described as being about 6 ft 4 in, with dark skin and dark hair, standing directly behind her as the demonstrators were being pushed on to Anglesea Street by gardaí. She turned to the gardaí and asked them to stop pushing as people were tripping up and stumbling. As she turned around, she felt a baton blow to the back of her head.

Ms Crean said she saw Garda Corcoran again on Dame Street and subsequently on RTÉ and TV3 news footage that evening. She told the jury that she discovered Garda Corcoran's name through coverage in the Irish Independent and The Irish Times in the days following the protest.

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Asked by Mr Patrick J. McCarthy SC, defending, if there were any other gardaí in the immediate vicinity of Garda Corcoran in the line which formed behind her, Ms Crean said she would only recognise the garda who was on his immediate left and the one on his immediate right.

When asked by Mr McCarthy if either had batons, Ms Crean replied that she did not see either of these gardaí carrying batons.

She did not accept Mr McCarthy's suggestion that gardaí in that line, including the two gardaí to the left and right of Garda Corcoran, did indeed carry batons.

Ms Crean said she could see the movement of the baton coming towards her from the corner of her eye, as her head was turned sideways, and she could see it was held by Garda Corcoran.

In response to Mr McCarthy's suggestion that she was wrong about the identification of Garda Corcoran as the man who struck her, Ms Crean replied: "I am positive my identification was correct and I am not mistaken."

An expert forensic imagery interpreter, called to analyse footage showing the incident where Mr Hayden, the first witness in the trial, was allegedly assaulted by Garda Corcoran, said the man in the footage whom he had named "man A" - and confirmed in court as being Garda Corcoran - had exerted significant force on the protester as he grabbed him by the rear of his sweatshirt and pulled him across the street.

He told Mr Tom O'Connell SC, prosecuting: "It was quite clear that Garda Corcoran having pulled the protester across the road then struck him on the crown of his head with his baton".

When asked by Mr McCarthy in cross-examination if Mr Hayden was shown in the footage to be elevated above members of the gardaí before Garda Corcoran grabbed him, the forensic interpreter replied that he certainly looked to be wound up and appeared to be bracing himself.

"I characterise this motion as an action of confrontation as the gardaí surrounding him seem to be standing still." However, he stressed he could not determine what was going on within the group of gardaí and the protester.

He was further asked to comment on footage showing Mr Hayden stretching out his arm towards another garda as he was being pulled back by Garda Corcoran. He said Mr Hayden did make contact with that garda's elbow at one point and appeared to have tried to grasp his jacket.

He believed this could have been done for one of two reasons, firstly, to try and steady himself as he was being dragged by Garda Corcoran or, secondly, to try and prevent the other officer from striking out at another protester.

The witness accepted Mr O'Connell's point, in re-examination, that the garda with whom Mr Hayden had made contact was indeed swinging his baton at another protester.

The trial continues before Judge Yvonne Murphy and a jury.