A former Garda, who sustained neck and arm injuries in the apprehension of a motorbike thief, has been awarded 40,000 Euros in Garda compensation at the High Court.
Eamonn Fitzgerald (59) of Cork, told the Ms Justice Mary Irvine at the High Court how he and a Garda colleague were attempting to arrest a man who had admitted possession of a stolen motorbike when the incident happened in July 2001.
The court heard how the thief had pinned Eamonn´s colleague to the floor and, as Eamonn tried to pull the crook away, he was tossed martial arts style head-over-heels onto some concrete steps.
Eamonn landed awkwardly, damaging his neck and left arm and shoulder, and spent a full week in hospital recovering from his injuries. He also missed work for a period of six weeks.
Ms Justice Mary Irvine awarded Eamonn just over 40,000 Euros in Garda compensation for his injuries – damages which will be paid by the Minister for Finance.