Friday 30 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 17545Assault on a garda · Co. Longford · 3 Mar 2023

Longford man avoids conviction after punching garda in head

On 3 March 2023 at about 10.30pm, gardaí responded to reports of two men fighting in the main street of Longford town. The State told the court that during a struggle after the men were separated, Martin Lawrence punched garda David Gerrity, who had been pushed to the ground, in the head a number of times. In April 2024 Martin Lawrence appeared at Longford District Court, where the defence said he was highly intoxicated and had apologised to the garda, and he was dealt with under Section 1(1) of the Probation Act, avoiding a conviction. The judge ordered €500 paid to Little Blue Heroes, which is the latest development reported on 20 April 2024.

  1. Reported
  2. Arrested
  3. Charged
  4. In court
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • Gardaí responded to reports of two males fighting in Longford town.
  • Garda David Gerrity was pushed to the ground in a struggle after gardaí separated the men.
  • The State said the accused punched the garda in the head a number of times.
Where
The fight was reported in the main street of Longford town.
When
The incident occurred at about 10.30pm on 3 March 2023.
Cause
The incident arose from a dispute between the accused and another man.
Charges
The offence was assault on a garda.
Investigation
Pepper spray was used to carry out the arrest of the accused.
In court
The accused, Martin Lawrence of Longford, appeared at Longford District Court in April 2024.
Other details
  • The defence said the accused was highly intoxicated on the night.
  • The accused took immediate steps to apologise to the garda.
  • The garda asked the accused to stop.
Sentence
  • The case was dealt with under Section 1(1) of the Probation Act, avoiding a conviction.
  • The judge ordered €500 paid to Little Blue Heroes.
13 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatA man punched a garda in the head during a dispute with another man. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whatGarda David Gerrity was pushed to the ground during a struggle. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whatThe accused punched the garda in the head a number of times. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whereThe accused appeared at Longford District Court. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whereGardaí received reports of two males fighting in the main street of Longford town. (longfordleader.ie)
  • whenThe incident occurred on 3 March 2023. (longfordleader.ie)
  • causeThe incident arose from a dispute with another man. (longfordleader.ie)
  • investigationPepper spray was used to carry out the arrest of the accused. (longfordleader.ie)
  • sentenceThe judge ordered €500 paid to Little Blue Heroes. (longfordleader.ie)
  • sentenceThe case was dealt with under Section 1(1) of the Probation Act. (longfordleader.ie)
  • otherThe garda asked the accused to stop. (longfordleader.ie)
  • otherThe defence said the accused was highly intoxicated on the night. (longfordleader.ie)
  • otherThe accused took immediate steps to apologise to the garda. (longfordleader.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 19 Apr2024
    Otherlongfordleader.ie, first report
    Longford man 'acted abominably' as garda punched in the head

    Reports the Longford District Court outcome for a March 2023 incident: the accused was dealt with under the Probation Act, avoiding a conviction, and €500 was ordered paid to charity. No existing case covers this incident. Pauline Brady appears only as defence solicitor here, not as a party to the case.

    accused, Martin Lawrence, male, named, irish (judged from name)Martin Lawrencevictim, David Gerrity, irish (judged from name)David Gerrity