A former Garda Sergeant gripped his steering wheel and refused to get out of his car when stopped for suspected drunk-driving.
A special sitting of Letterkenny District Court yesterday heard how it took three Gardai to get Jack Conaty out of his car.
The court heard how Conaty, a member of the Gardai for more than 30 years, swore and laughed at Gardai when they stopped him at Dunmore, Carrigans on September 16th, 2011.
After getting into his Ford Connect van, Conaty, 63, drove down the village’s Main Street on the wrong side of the road and narrowly missed two oncoming cars.
Garda Paul McGee also revealed how he swerved across the wrong side of the road and tried to “ram” the Garda patrol car as they tried to overtake Conaty.
He eventually stopped outside the gate of his home and Gardai tried to apprehend him.
When asked to get out of the car, Conaty, of Lower Dunmore, Carrigans, asked “What the f*** are you on about?”
He then clinched the steering wheel of the van and told Gardai “I’m f***ing going home.”
He was eventually taken from the van by three Gardai who were forced to put two sets of handcuffs on him.
Conaty’s wife then arrived and told the arresting Gardai that her husband had a heart condition.
He was taken to Letterkenny Garda station and when asked his name he said “fu** off” three times to Gardai.
Despite three attempts he could not give a breath sample telling Gardai that he had a heart pacemaker and wanted to see his consultant.
However Gardai refused to get him his doctor.
“I felt he was frustrating the process,” said Sgt Joe Kealy.
The court heard that Conaty was asked if he had consumed alcohol and he replied he had drank two coffees.
His statement was read over to him by Gardai but Conaty refused to sign it.
Solicitor Pat McMyler said his client could not be found guilty as there was a breach of the process because a doctor was refused for his client.
However Judge Paul Kelly he accepted the evidence of Sgt Keely.
He found Conaty guilty of dangerous driving and fined him €200 and disqualified him from driving for two years and also guilty of failing to comply with an intoxiliser and was fined a further €300 and disqualified for a further 4 years.
Judge Kelly said “He knows well how difficult it is for Gardai to deal with these situations and is an aspect oF this case that does not help him.
“It aggrevates the situation somewhat. I feel a man of his years and experience should have behaved better in dealing with the Gardai,” he said
Solicitor McMyler added of his client’s behaviour that a kinder view might have been taken at one time but those days are long gone.