A former Garda who suffered a broken nose in a head butting incident has been awarded €27,400 in damages by the High Court.

The former Garda was head butted by a youth he had taken into custody. The High Court was told that he had been patrolling an area in Portlaoise, County Laois, when they came across a public order incident involving youths. He told the court that he asked the youths to behave however one of them was extremely drunk and shouted obscenities at them.

The former Garda arrested the youth in question and handcuffed. He told the High Court that the youth was very agitated in the back of the car on the way to the station. When they got to the station, the former Garda tried to calm the youth down however he head butted him in the face.

The former Garda suffered a nasal fracture and was off work for a month due to the injury. The former Garda took a personal injury* claim as a result of the injuries he suffered during work. The former Garda was awarded €27,400 in compensation* by the High Court against the Minister for Finance.

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*In contentious business a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement