News
Heroin dealer injured Garda’s hand
A man who was disturbed as he attempted to sell heroin in the city last year, later lashed out at a Garda, leaving him with a lasting injury to his hand, Galway District Court heard.
In imposing an 18-month sentence, Judge Aeneas McCarthy said that there were no mitigating circumstances to lessen the term imposed on Martin Carroll (27), with an address at Fairgreen Hostel.
“It was a violent attack on a Garda doing his duty,” he said.
The defendant pleaded guilty to having diamorphine (heroin) for sale or supply at the Fisheries Field, University Road, on January 25 last year, with damaging property at Galway Garda Station, and with a serious assault on Garda Brendan Owens.
Inspector Mick O’Dwyer told the court that two Gardaí were on patrol on the night in question when they observed three males acting suspiciously.
As Garda Brendan Dooher approached Carroll, whom he recognised, the defendant threw some items over the riverbank. When his person was searched, Carroll was found to be in possession of 10 small plastic bags containing diamorphine, and €170 in cash, in €5 notes.
He was arrested at 12.05am on suspicion of having drugs for sale or supply, and taken to Galway Garda Station. During the subsequent interview he was asked what was the substance in the bag, to which he replied: “I’ve a good idea it’s heroin.”
He then became very agitated and punched interview recording equipment, causing €400 worth of damage.
When he was moved to the cell area, he became violent, and refused to remove his belt or hand over his property. He had to be restrained, with the assistance of other Gardaí and, during the scuffle, he lashed out at Garda Owens, hitting him on his hand.
He had to be taken to UHG, where he was found to have broken his fifth metacarpal.
The Garda, who said that the injury had not healed as well as was hoped, was one month on sick leave and had been unable to drive himself to medical appointment, which meant that his wife having to take time off work also.
“It hasn’t knitted or aligned correctly, which is probably the cause of why I’m still in pain,” he said.
“I spoke to a second consultant, who said that the only resolution would be to wait two years and have the bone re-broken and re-straightened, but there may be other complications.”
The court heard that Carroll had 58 previous convictions, among them for theft, burglary, drugs, and criminal damage offences.
His solicitor, John Martin, offered his client’s apologies to the Garda, adding that he had shown remorse soon after the event, as was evident by his reply when charged with the assault.
He said that his client had been a heroin addict since he was 18, but that he had sought treatment a year ago, and was now doing well.
“Over the last 12 months, he has made quite a bit of effort to treat his addiction, and the cause of his offending,” Mr Martin said.
Judge McCarthy imposed a nine-month sentence for the assault on the Garda, and a further nine months for having the heroin for sale or supply.
“There are no mitigating circumstances… he has an appalling previous record, and I can give him no credit for that,” Judge McCarthy concluded.
Recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal, on his own surety of €300, and an independent surety of €900, one-third to be lodged.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
