Two gardai have received jail sentences for their role in the assault of a man in Waterford last year.
Daniel Hickey and John Burke both received custodial sentences in court in relation to an incident in which Anthony Holness was attacked on January 29, 2010.
Hickey was sentenced to three years in jail with 18 months suspended for assault causing harm to the victim. Burke received a two-year sentence with 12 months suspended for attempting to pervert the course of justice by deliberately diverting CCTV cameras away from his colleagues as they went to arrest Holness for a public order offense.
A third garda, Martha McEnery, received a four-month suspended sentence.
At their trial in August, the court heard that Holness was stopped to urinate on New Street in the town where he was spotted by Garda Hickey, who was on patrol with student Garda Aine Mullins.
Holness told the court he was blinded as a result of being pepper-sprayed, incapacitated and subdued as he was being arrested. Garda Hickey and Sgt. McEnery contradicted this and said Holness was flailing around while he was on the ground and refused to make his hand available so that he could be handcuffed.
The jury were shown CCTV footage of Holness being challenged by Garda Hickey and an altercation arising with Holness taking off his jacket and swinging it at Garda Hickey before the officer appeared to punch him a number of times and brought him to the ground with a headlock.
