Man scratched garda's face, Dundalk court told

A judge has told a 29 year old man who scratched a garda’s face during an early morning altercation, that the €300 he was offering to the court as a donation to charity, was not enough.

Conor Brennan of St Clement’s Park, Point Road, Dundalk used racially abusive language and told gardai "That this was HIS town" after he was arrested following a public order incident.

Court presenter Sgt. Jimmy McGovern told the court that the defendant was attempting to fight with another man on Park Street at 3.50am on January 23rd last.

His fists were clenched and raised, and he was in a boxing pose but did not strike him.

Sgt McGovern said this aggression ‘increased’ when gardaí arrived. He resisted arrest, scratched a garda’s face and pulled off the officer's glasses.

Conor Brennan was restrained and handcuffed and said to gardaí that he was only being arrested

‘because of these black b******s’ and ‘it was his town’.

The court heard he had no previous convictions. The Defence solicitor said his client was not used to drinking alcohol for a long number of months and had €300 in court.

He was very apologetic and keen to avoid a conviction.

Judge Eirinn McKiernan said that amount was not acceptable and adjourned the public order charges to April 13th and told him to have €500 for the Garda Benevolent Fund on the next date and a letter of apology for the garda.