# Garda In Serious Condition After Stabbing



## Inspector (Nov 13, 2006)

A YOUNG garda sustained life-threatening injuries early yesterday after being stabbed during a street festival.
Garda Daryl Mullen, a member of the divisional drugs unit in Co Mayo, sustained a single knife wound in the stomach in an incident at James Street, Westport, shortly after 1am.
The officer, who is in his early 30s, was rushed to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar, where he underwent emergency surgery.
His condition in the hospital's intensive care unit was said last night to be "stable but serious".
According to Supt Michael Murray, the incident occurred when Garda Mullen and three colleagues approached a youth at the entrance to a car park in James Street.
Supt Murray said officers noted what appeared to be the handle of a knife sticking out from beneath the young man's armpit.
Gardaí say the suspect made several swings at Garda Mullen as if trying to stab him several times but apparently only one knife lunge connected.
After the stabbing, the suspect ran away but was subsequently arrested following a chase at the nearby South Mall.
The knife believed to have been used in the attack has been recovered by investigating officers.
The arrested youth was held under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
His period of detention was initially for six hours, but this was extended just after 7am by Supt Murray for a further six hours.
The stabbing, which has been strongly condemned by community leaders, occurred during the Westport Music Festival, which has been running in the town all weekend. The savagery of the attack has shocked gardaí as well as the local community.
"Westport is normally a peaceful town," Supt Murray explained.
"On the normal level of incidents locally this was totally off the Richter Scale."
The injured garda is a native of Tuam, Co Galway.
He has been based in the Mayo area since he graduated from Templemore Garda training college in 2002.
The Irish Times - Irish News, Business News, Sports News & Ireland Weather Online


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## LGriffin (Apr 2, 2009)

WTF is going on over there lately?


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## GARDA (Dec 30, 2003)

*"*There simply aren't many jobs in America (_Ireland, or anyplace_) where the wage-earners had left for work with the knowledge - often buried in the back of the mind - that they could lose their lives in the performance of their tasks. No office offers the constant cycle of potential danger found on the streets or highways - rural as well as urban - *where it can all end in a single second."*

Sir, my wishes to you for a speedy recovery and smooth sailing.


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## Boston Irish Lass (Feb 13, 2009)

LGriffin said:


> WTF is going on over there lately?


As I stated in my thread about the mister back in July, this season was bound to be the worst in years. Both sides have had the tensions rising for many months. There's a reason I was more worried than usual this go round. 

Once you add in the unemployment increase, people taking the dole more, the general morale is pretty low everywhere. Throw in political dissent and it's a total cluster poke just like here.


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## Inspector (Nov 13, 2006)

What's going on there is that crime usually confined to cities like Dublin, Cork and Limerick has spread out to the smaller cities like Westport as well as the countryside. Immigration, poor economy and drugs have struck Ireland making it unrecognizable to many of us who have known that nation well. I was in Cork City very recently and was the only person speaking English in a grocery store which featured signs in Russian and foods for eastern Europeans. There's a Thai restaurant near Blarney Castle and the Garda was talking about recruiting minority officers just before it became evident the economy made it obvious they too will soon impose a hiring freeze and may close half their stations. Ireland too has become a part of "One World."


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## Boston Irish Lass (Feb 13, 2009)

Inspector said:


> What's going on there is that crime usually confined to cities like Dublin, Cork and Limerick has spread out to the smaller cities like Westport as well as the countryside.


I think the epidemic with drugs is destroying the entire country. There's no way to have such an influx of drugs and not see the crime rates rise. Although Limerick has always been referred to as Stab City 



Inspector said:


> I was in Cork City very recently and was the only person speaking English in a grocery store "


That's because they're all here. I've never met someone here that didn't tell me they weren't from Cork. True story.


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## Inspector (Nov 13, 2006)

THE sixteen-year-old youth who appeared in court yesterday (Monday) in relation to the stabbing of a garda on Sunday morning in Westport had received early release from a nine month prison sentence in July - which included the charge of possession of a steak knife.
Garda Daryl Mullen is currently still in the intensive care unit of Mayo General Hospital after he underwent emergency surgery to the abdomen after being stabbed by a youth with a seven inch kitchen knife. The incident occurred shortly after 1am on Sunday morning when Garda Mullen and his colleagues met the youth in an alleyway beside the Subway sandwich bar on James Street.
The youth, who has an address in Mayo but cannot be named for legal reasons, had been released early from a nine month prison sentence. He was only released on strict conditions, including a curfew from 8am until 8pm. He had been sentenced to nine months imprisonment in June after he stole a car and was involved in a high speed chase around Westport. He had reached speeds of 160km per hour and discarded a steak knife after abandoning the car on James Street. 
In July, he was released from prison after the court heard that he had spent three months in solitary confinement, due to personal threats, in St Patrick's Institution. Judge Raymond Groarke had said that 'any young person is entitled to make mistakes and to get a fool's pardon' but he imposed strict conditions to his release, including a curfew.
The incident is similar to the circumstances surrounding the death of Swinford-born Garda Robert McCallion in Letterkenny earlier this year when the teen involved in the hit and run incident had received temporary release. 
A spokesperson for the Garda Siochána in Westport confirmed to The Mayo News that the youth had been given early release and expected the matters concerned to be re-entered.
"He was released in the Circuit Court last July after he had been in custody for three months and was to come before the Court again in October to see how he was going. There is nothing unusual about giving a juvenile another chance and in fairness to the judge he did ask us for our opinion and it was decided to give him another chance. Even though he had previous convictions there was nothing to suggest anything like this would happen," he said.
Garda Mullen, who is 32-years-old and originally from Tuam, had been stationed in Castlebar since he graduated from Templemore in 2002. He was a member of the Mayo Divisional Drug Unit and had been on routine patrol on James Street in Westport when the incident occurred. The Garda spokesperson said there was nothing to suggest drugs were a factor in the attack saying they had 'just come across' the youth before the stabbing incident. He also could not confirm if Garda Mullen was wearing a stab proof vest.
Garda Mullen was rushed to Mayo General Hospital and after under-going emergency surgery, which included the removal of his spleen, he was placed in intensive care where his condition is described as stable but critical and he is still 'seriously ill'.
The weapon was recovered at the scene and the youth was arrested a short distance away after fleeing the scene. He appeared before yesterday's (Monday's) sitting of Mullingar District Court where he was charged with assaulting Garda Daryl Mullen causing harm, and he will now appear at Castlebar District Court at 2pm on Wednesday of this week, August 12.
Sergeant Patrick Lavelle of Westport Garda Station said that the defendant was officially arrested at 1.04pm on Sunday afternoon. Mr James Hanley, defending, requested an urgent medical and psychiatric assessment. Both requests were granted by Judge Conal Gibbons. The boy, who was accompanied by an adult woman believed to be his mother for the duration of his court appearance, remained silent during the proceedings.
The Mayo News - HOME


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## Pats2009 (Aug 24, 2007)

Thoughts and prayers to Garda Mullen. It looks like they may need to think about arming *ALL* Garda to combat/prevent these attacks. I believe _some_ Garda are armed, but I'm not sure, maybe BIL can answer that question...


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## Inspector (Nov 13, 2006)

I can answer your question regarding armed Gardai. Regular Uniformed patrol Gardai are not armed. Many detectives carry weapons, having special "blue card" permits issued by the department certifying they are qualified. Emergency response unit officers and others assigned to special units and/or jobs are armed. I have spoken to many members of the Garda Siochana and most still are reluctant to carry sidearms. Taser use is being introduced but even that is being met with resistance inside the department and from the public in general. Recently the issue has not been in the news as budget problems have taken over the news. The military is often called upon to assist police when armed response is needed.


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## jmestano (Aug 31, 2008)

I'll be praying for Garda Mullen. I hope he's okay!


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## Varanus224 (Jun 13, 2006)

I recently visited Ireland. I practically toured the whole country and I have never expected to see so many sights that remind me of home

Dublin must have on par or worse a bad problem with Heroin as Boston but, yet I continued look on to Garda with nothing more then an ASP and cuffs. Yet each one stood there with astonishing pride as they policed that city. In the face of gansters with assault weapons and even explosives the Garda continue to police their city

I left Ireland with a respect for Irish LEOs that I still think back to.


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## Inspector (Nov 13, 2006)

Yes Varanus I am glad you saw and appreciate the dedication those Gardai possess. I came to admire them over the years and still don't comprehend the feeling of so many that they still don't want to be forced to carry weapons other than their batons. I've ridden through the tough streets of North Dublin with CID and saw the drug pushers and criminals who they knew had them out gunned staring at us as we passed by. The young detectives I rode with were armed but carried only revolvers.
The preferred bad guy weapon at the time was a sawed off shotgun but semi-autos were on the streets also. This year I noticed the Garda taking a much more aggressive approach but they seem to be using military backup more often. As mentioned in other posts the economy is impacting the garda and station closures loom, and latest word is a hiring freeze follows this current cadet class. I know in Dublin some stations are almost within sight of others but in the countryside many residents will feel less secure if their stations are closed.


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## LGriffin (Apr 2, 2009)

Things have certainly changed since my last visit.


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## Mass (Jan 21, 2006)

Thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family!


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