Kildare woman tried to prevent son being arrested by baton wielding garda

A woman tried to prevent her son being arrested by a garda following an incident with a security man near a Maynooth pub.

The woman aged in her late 40s and with an address in Celbridge was prosecuted for obstruction, a breach of the Public Order Act, on March 31, 2024 at Main Street, Maynooth.

READ NEXT Well known Kildare supermarket to be taken over by children's charity

Sgt Mary Meade said that the incident arose from an altercation with a security staff member.

Sgt Meade said that as a man was being arrested near The Roost pub his mother got involved.

Sgt Meade said the woman tried to pull the garda away from her son.

It was claimed on the woman’s behalf that another party at the scene had escalated the situation.

Sgt Meade said the woman was told to desist but she continued to try and pull the garda away. She agreed that a garda “had to use his baton” during the incident.

It was also claimed that a comment was made by a garda relating to alleged drug use by the son and this would be denied by the son.

The court was also told that the woman had been socialising with two family members.

It was stated on the women’s behalf that she has no previous convictions and an attempt was made to access a bathroom and this may have started the incident.

It  was also stated that the woman was in a state of terror and the incident had taken a big toll on her family.

The woman had never come to the attention of the gardaí previously and would not in the future.

Judge Desmond Zaidan accepted that the woman intervened because of her son and he had no doubt “it was a highly charged atmosphere."

He applied the Probation of Offenders Act, which means she has no conviction.