34 year old Brian Hanrahan of Ballintotty, Nenagh, denied punching and kicking one woman and hitting another, but was found guilty on both counts by Judge Elizabeth MacGrath at Nenagh District Court.
The two victims and their families gasped, hugged each other and wept when the judge gave her verdict this afternoon while Mr Hanrahan briefly bowed his head.
In evidence last week the court heard that the off duty garda- originally from Killenaule but stationed in Limerick hit the two young women, Emer Kelly and Aisling King, after an argument broke out near Lisboney graveyard at about 4am in the morning on March 6 of last year.
Brian Hanrahan claimed he had acted in self-defence because one of the women “launched herself” at him because she wanted €50 for the lift home. He was shot and badly injured in a botched robbery in the US in 2015 and he told the court that the last thing he wanted was an altercation of any description.
Judge Elizabeth MacGrath found the ingredients of assault causing harm under section three of the Offences Against the Person Act were present, that an assault did take place and that harm was caused to both women.
She said that she had to then decide if the three main prosecution witnesses – the two injured parties and another woman in the car – were lying. She was conscious of the phrase used by the late Lord Denning of the “appalling vista,” she said.
Judge Mac Grath found that Mr Hanrahan’s account on the night in question, of a 999 call in which he said there were “six or eight of them- describing them as psychopaths” was “not an accurate account
Having reviewed all of the evidence, she said she was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Hanrahan was guilty of the two charges against him.
The defence immediately gave notice of intention to appeal the verdict.
Judge MacGrath adjourned sentence until April 27 to allow for the preparation of a probation report and psychological report on Mr Hanrahan. She said his attitude on the night of the assaults gave “rise to concern” and meant a psychological report would be of assistance when it came to deciding the penalty.
