A garda who was assaulted and doused in petrol on Monday morning while on duty in Cavan is due to be released from hospital on Tuesday evening.
Garda Padraig Scott (29) suffered what were described as serious but non-life threatening injuries in the attack near the town of Blacklion. The Garda was found by colleagues in a shaken and badly disorientated state after gardaí used his car’s GPS tracker to locate him.
Investigators believe Gda Scott likely came across the scene of criminal activity while he was driving from Division Headquarters in Cavan Town to his home Station in Blacklion at 2am on Monday.
They believe his attackers assaulted him with a blunt object before dousing him in petrol, either to intimidate him or destroy forensic evidence. Their motive remains unknown and a large scale Garda investigation is continuing.
Gda Scott, who is originally from Tulsk, Roscommon, played intercounty football for the Roscommon senior team and is a well respect Garda in the Cavan area.
In 2016, he was the victim of another assault while on duty when a man attacked him unprovoked on the steps of Monaghan District Court. It resulted in the Garda being hospitalised.
Last year, Gda Scott suffered another assault after stopping a suspect drink driver in Co Cavan.
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) said Monday’s attack showed the importance of providing timely, armed backup for members who are on duty alone.
It is understood Gda Scott lay at the scene for between 20 and 30 minutes before he was located by colleagues. He was unable to relay his position over the radio due to the assault but Gardaí were able to track his car using its inbuilt GPS tracker to a location near Loughan House Prison.
Assailants
Armed units arrived at the scene but were unable to locate the assailants. No arrests have been made to date and gardaí are continuing to appeal for witnesses.
Cavan councillor John Paul Feeley has described as “worrying” the practice of a lone garda on patrol.
Cllr Feeley told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland on Tuesday that it was not entirely unusual for a garda to be on patrol alone and that it happened more often than it should.
Blacklion is about 60km from District Headquarter in Cavan from where back up was sent when the garda contacted colleagues seeking assistance. “It took time for back up to get to him.”
The area where the garda was attacked was “a very quiet and peaceful spot” where there would have been very little traffic at that hour, he said.
A “very comprehensive” garda investigation was now under way, added Cllr Feeley who extended wishes for a speedy recovery to the garda who had been “distressed and shocked” at what had happened to him.
Cllr Feeley called on anyone with CCTV to check it for any details which could bring the people who carried out “this savage attack” to justice.
On Monday, local Garda Representative Association representative James Morrisroe said: “Unfortunately this horrific and vicious assault once again highlights the dangers faced by our membership while on duty on a daily basis.”
“In recent years we have seen increases in the number of assaults and the viciousness of such attacks. The circumstances of this incident are disturbing and highlight the need to protect the gardaí that society relies on to keep them safe.”