The Children's Court/Carl O'Brien:The young garda's voice shook slightly as he repeated the threat made to him just a few minutes earlier.
"Judge, just before I give evidence, I wish to say that before I came in here one of the witnesses for the defence was threatening me, saying I'd be shot and my body would be found in the Dublin Mountains," he said, his voice still a little breathless.
The garda had been called into the courtroom to give evidence regarding the arrest of a 17-year-old girl charged with assault and breach of the peace. Witnesses for the girl were outside in the lobby of the courtroom waiting to be called.
Judge Bridget Reilly calmly assessed the claims and then made a direction that the two young women be temporarily detained. "This is an attempt to intimidate the garda," she said. "I'm directing that they be taken to separate cells until their evidence is required."
The case centred on a girl who had been out driving with her friends in the north Dublin area two weeks ago. When gardaí stopped the car, which had no insurance, they claimed the 17-year-old hit a garda in the groin and called them "child porno bastards" and "garda pigs".
"When I was standing in front of the car, the driver started to rev the engine and shouted 'get out of the way, you pig'," the prosecuting garda said.
His version of events was supported by his colleague and two others who arrived on the scene after a request for police back-up.
The accused, a dark-skinned girl with large silver earrings, insisted that one of the gardaí tried to drag her out of the car, pushed her up against a wall and shouted racial abuse at her.
"He pulled me out of the car and then he tried to search me," the sixth-year secondary student said earnestly.
"I said only bean gardaí can search girls. I hadn't even finished what I was saying when I was pushed up against the wall."
Her sister, who was driving the car, was called up from the cells to give evidence. She walked across the courtroom with a self-assured swagger and sat back in the witness box chair, straightening her long white jacket and placing her Burberry handbag on the ground before she spoke. "She was taken out of the car by him," she said, pointing dramatically to one of the gardaí. "She was pushed up against the wall. Her handcuffs were too tight. There were a lot of racist remarks."
The other girl in the car was also brought up from the cells and spoke calmly as she gave the same account of the incident.
The judge sat quietly making notes and read through the evidence. Meanwhile the girl's father, who had been sitting silently throughout, exhaled loudly.
"I find," the judge said quietly, "that the State has proved its case and I am convicting the defendant," sentencing her to 180 hours of community service, but leaving the option open for three months' detention.
The accused girl looked over to her friend who shrugged her shoulders and arched her eyebrows upwards.
Turning to the young woman, who allegedly made the threatening remarks, the judge said she was deeply unhappy with her behaviour. The girl protested loudly, but the judge interrupted her.
"I am satisfied with the evidence that the garda gave," the judge said, "and that you made very serious threats. I don't think a garda is that foolish. I think you need to consider your behaviour. I would advise you to be very, very careful."