A three-year-old girl suffered nightmares after gardaí had attempted to enter her home by force at night, a judge was told yesterday.
Ruby Whearity was upstairs with her mother when gardaí had been let into her home by her father in January last year, only for them to find they were in the wrong house.
Barrister Bebhin Sparks told the Circuit Civil Court that a garda had gone upstairs and there were others in the house and garden, before they realised they had attempted to enter the “incorrect address.”
She told Mr Justice Matthew Deery that liability with regard to the error was not an issue and while Ruby, whose home is in Chapel Close, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, had been extremely distressed by the incident, her anxieties had resolved within a matter of months.
Ms Sparks said Ruby, who is now aged four, had some difficulty sleeping after the incident and had suffered nightmares.
The Commissioner of the Garda Síochána and the Minister for Justice had made a settlement offer of €7,500 through Ruby’s mother Gemma, and she was recommending acceptance of it by the court.
Mr Justice Deery approved the settlement.