A MAN WHO was awarded €1.1 million by the High Court today for his wrongful arrest over the assault of his finacée has said that it’s his abiding wish that it never happens to another Irish citizen.
Gerald Jennings was arrested in December 2012 after his fiancée was seriously assaulted in Carlow town. Another man was later convicted of the assault and jailed.
According to the Irish Times, the jury found the Gardaí’s actions were not reasonably necessary, and that Jennings’ detention was unlawful.
Jennings’ solicitors Callan Tansey released a statement to TheJournal.ie in which they said they were “delighted with the outcome of the case”.
We are especially grateful to the court and to the jury for giving up their precious time over the last three weeks. They have upheld their civic duty to the full and for that, all of us can feel very proud.
“Today is not a good day for An Garda Síochána. The verdict sends a strong message to the public that the high standard of conduct expected from our Gardaí was not met in this case. Those who enforce the law, must keep it.”
The solicitors said that Jennings “acknowledges that in the main, we are well served by our Gardaí and hopefully the necessary lessons from this case will be learnt”.
The solicitors said that Jennings hopes that what happened to him “at the hands of An Garda Síochána never happens to him again or indeed to any of the citizens of this country”.
He also hopes that he and his family “can finally put this painful experience behind them and move on with the rest of their lives”.
Gerald and Marta would like to thank their family and friends for all their support they have received throughout the case, especially during the trial. A special thanks to Gerald’s sister, Rita and his aunts for looking after Laurence [the couple's son].
Life goes on and for Gerald and Marta, begins again.
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