A garda who was viciously attacked by a man in a drunken rage feared he and two young children would die if he did not manage to eventually arrest the suspect following a 25-minute struggle.
Officer Ray Wims was repeatedly punched, elbowed, bit and spat on by 30-year-old Ciaran Flood during an incident he responded to just over two years ago in Co Sligo.
Flood kicked in a garden gate and broke into a house in Enniscrone after drinking cider.
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Garda Wims was forced to intervene without any back-up due to the threat to life he feared Flood posed on the two children, aged nine and ten, and to the man and two women inside the property. Flood was today sentenced to two years and six months after pleading guilty to assault causing harm and criminal damage at Sligo Circuit Court.
But he was released on bail ahead of finalisation of the matter later this year. The hearing heard from Garda Wims, who took to the stand to read his victim impact statement.
The well-respected officer, who is also the Garda Representative Association’s rep for Sligo and Leitrim, said: "I have never experienced a person in such a violent rage, including in my time being attached to the Divisional Public Order Unit for 12 years.
"Ciaran Flood immediately viciously attacked me by repeatedly thumping and elbowing me for 25 minutes, biting me, repeatedly spitting all over my body during the assault.
"I was seriously worried that if Ciaran Flood overpowered me, he could have got an implement or knife from the kitchen and could have inflicted fatal damage to me or another person present in the house which was broken into."
Prosecuting barrister Leo Mulrooney took Sgt Adrian Keane, of Ballymote Garda Station, through the facts of the case.
Garda Wims was dispatched to the incident on May 15, 2021 after being told that a man was attempting to break into a home in Enniscrone. The local patrol car was 62km away in Ballymote, dropping a prisoner off, meaning any back-up for Wims was 50 minutes away.
The court heard that on arrival, Wims observed the accused acting in an agitated, drunk and disorderly manner and his pupils were dilated. Wims followed Flood into the Castlecove estate in Enniscrone but remained at a distance knowing back-up was still a good distance away.
Mr Mulrooney told the court that the accused was acting violently towards Wims, making gestures that he was going to assault him. Flood hopped a wall into a terraced housing and down an alleyway. Within a minute a woman came out screaming from one of the houses saying a man had broken into her home through a patio door and he was "going crazy."
Despite back-up being over 20 minutes away, Wims felt he had to intervene alone because of what he feared was the immediate risk to life. The garda went into the home where the two young terrified children were on the couch of the living room while a man and two other women were also in the house.
Flood refused to leave the house and as Wims attempted to arrest him. The garda was violently attacked. He was punched and elbowed repeatedly to his head, upper body, back and hips.
Flood also bit into Wims' thumb on his left hand, breaking the skin. He continued to spit on the garda, which carried a new level of risk given covid-19 and the prevalence of the virus at the time.
After 25 minutes, Garda Wims eventually overpowered Flood and arrested him before his colleagues arrived. While being questioned by gardai, Flood stated that he had set out to go to Enniscrone to see his girlfriend but when asked if he was still going out with her, he said he did not think so but wanted to resolve the situation.
He told gardai that he had drunk cider but had not taken drugs. The accused also did not have much recollection of the incident, saying he suffered with memory problems following an incident in 2018, from which he suffered a brain injury.
The court heard he was knocked down by a car on that occasion. Garda Wims had to be given various medications to prevent infections and has severe back pain which continues to be treated.
He was out of work for 11 months after the incident, returning at the end of April 2022. However, garda Wims, stationed in Coolaney in Sligo, is restricted to non-confrontational duty which has a huge impact on his current and future career prospects.
He attempts not to take pain medication, but has to at times to give enough relief for him to sleep. Speaking from the stand, Wims said: "Ciaran Flood's actions on that night had a significant impact on my life.
"One thought that continues to come to mind since the incident is if I had not been able to eventually overpower Ciaran Flood and put him in handcuffs, then what would he have done to me or the two little children in the house which he had broken into.
"I can see the madness in his eyes and him roaring like a lunatic."
The court heard that Flood, of Ballynacargy, Mullingar in Co Westmeath, has a number of previous convictions including assault, criminal damage and possession of drugs. The accused took to the witness box in his defence and said: "I'm so sorry for what I did. It was just stupidity judge."
His defence barrister said that his client is involved in what is similar to Wardship here, where he is getting compensation paid for the 2018 UK accident which will be managed by a legal team and a case manager here. Judge Keenan Johnson was also told the root of Flood's problems is alcohol but he's been sober since November last year.
Judge Keenan thanked Garda Wims for his service to society in protecting the two children saying his actions were "admirable." He also said courts have to take factors such as mental health issues into account when imposing sentences.
Taking into account mitigating and aggravating factors, the judge sentenced Flood to 2.5 years in jail for the assault and criminal damage. However he remanded Flood on continuing bail on a number of conditions for the matter to come back before him on October 5 to see how he is progressing with probation and other services.
But the judge warned if he drinks alcohol before that date, Flood will be hauled in and sent to jail. He also ordered that a €10,000 donation be organised for the Garda Benevolent Trust Fund.
Speaking afterwards, the Garda Representative Association's Interim Deputy General Secretary James Morrisroe told the Irish Mirror: "Our colleague suffered a sustained and vicious attack while protecting a vulnerable family from a violent and out of control defendant in this case.
“We fully believe that if not for the immense bravery of Garda Wims this incident could have had an even more serious outcome.
"We commend our colleague but this once again highlights the dangers our members face on a daily basis and the failings of the current rural backup systems available.”
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