Judge orders woman who kicked gardai in Letterkenny hotel to appear in court

A Judge has ordered a woman who assaulted two gardai during a disturbance at a Letterkenny hotel appear before him.

Judge Ciaran Liddy adjourned the case of Pauline McGirr at Letterkenny District Court and asked that she be present on the next occasion.

McGirr, a 42-year-old of Mill Street, Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, has been charged in connection with incidents at the Clanree Hotel, Bonagee, Letterkenny, on September 21, 2022.

Sergeant Jim Collins told the court that gardai were called to a disturbance on the night in question.

McGirr became abusive in the hallway of the hotel to the gardai. “She became irate and during the course of it became physically aggressive with the gardai,” Sergeant Collins said. The court heard that McGirr kicked Garda Mark Naughton in the torso and kicked Garda Corin Cahill on the leg.

The assistance of the gardai was initially sought by a night porter after McGirr began acting in an 'abusive, insulting and aggressive' manner. After throwing leaflets from the counter all over the lobby, McGirr became verbally aggressive.

McGirr is charged with assaulting Garda Naughton and with assaulting Garda Cahill. McGirr is also charged with being intoxicated in a public place, with resisting a peace officer and with failing to provide gardai with her name and address.

Mr Patsy Gallagher, solicitor representing McGirr, said his client has had mental health and addiction issues.

“She is very fearful of the court system and the ramifications,” Mr Gallagher said. “She is deeply apologetic to the gardai.

“She has no previous convictions and hasn’t come to the attention of the Gardai or the PSNI since. She had too much medication and alcohol on board.”

At a previous sitting of the court, Mr Gallagher said McGirr is from a well-known family in the Aughnacloy area. The family suffered a traumatic event in the 1990s while she was in her teenage years, he added.

McGirr was not in court due to ‘an appointment’, her solicitor said.

“She assaulted two gardai,” noted Judge Liddy, who adjourned the matter until December 18 next. Judge Liddy said: “I would prefer it if she was here.”