Meat cleaver attack on Garda in Roscommon Town ‘could have been fatal’

A garda who was attacked with a meat cleaver, while carrying out a drugs search at a property in Roscommon Town, has said that members of the force are being attacked daily and a clear message must be sent out that this is not acceptable.

A member of the Drugs Unit, Garda Gary Murphy said the attack “could have been fatal” and it was thanks to the quick actions of his colleague, Garda Michael Fox who was also injured in the attack, that it wasn’t.

Garda Murphy gave a victim impact statement in the case against Gerard Forte when it came before Judge Kenneth Connolly at a recent sitting of Roscommon Circuit Criminal Court. He outlined the physical and psychological damage the attack caused, not just to him but also to his family. He also said that since the incident the behaviour of the accused towards the gardaí has been “repulsive”.

Mr Forte, who gave gardaí his address as 8 Castle Park, Castle Street, Roscommon was charged with assaulting both Garda Murphy and Garda Fox on December 27th, 2023. He was further charged with possessing an article, a black handled knife, which could cause serious injury, possession of cannabis and possession of cannabis for the purpose of resale.

Sgt James Muldowney told the court that on December 27th six gardaí, four from the drugs unit and two uniformed gardaí, arrived at 8 Castle Park to carry out a search warrant. On arrival Garda Murphy called out that there were gardaí at the door and they could clearly see people inside the house. A woman came to a window followed by the defendant who then turned away.

The gardaí then decided to enter the premises by force. On entering, Garda Fox called out “knife, drop the f**king knife.” Garda Murphy at this stage saw the defendant swing a weapon at him, which was a meat cleaver, missing his head and striking him on the upper arm. An attempt was made to make a second swing at the garda, but this was prevented by Garda Fox.

The defendant and Garda Fox ended up in the sitting room as he attempted to restrain Mr Forte and tried to get him to drop the knife. At this point he (Sergeant Muldowney) intervened and came to help and prevented Mr Forte from using the knife again.

When Garda Fox and Mr Forte struggled they ended up on a couch with the garda hitting his neck and head. Sgt Muldowney said he eventually got control of the knife.

He then checked on Garda Murphy whose jumper, t-shirt and upper arm were sliced. He had pain on his left side. Garda Murphy was off work with pain and tenderness on his upper arm while Garda Fox also reported unfit for duty and is still receiving physio treatments.

On searching the property gardaí found a quantity of cannabis and a weighing scale, which on analysis showed to be 18.5 grams of cannabis valued at €368. They also found two black handguns, but these were later found to be air pistols and are not considered firearms.

In an interview with gardaí the accused said he was in fear on the day and did not know they were gardaí. He said the cannabis was his and he was selling it to try and make money.

The court heard that he admitted ownership of the knife which he said he used as he was a sous chef. He further stated that there was a threat on his life, and he was fearful when he saw men in ordinary clothes come into his home.

He said he had met Garda Murphy in the past but when he swung the knife the garda’s face was not visible to him. It was only after hitting him he realised he was a Garda.

He said he was truly sorry for his actions and that he was “petrified” at the time. He has been living in Roscommon since he was a young child. He is now drugs free.

In answer to questions from Judge Connolly, Sgt Muldowney said on the day officers from the drugs unit were wearing ballistics vests with the word ‘Garda’ written on them. He said: “People were at the window looking out and were fully aware that it was the gardaí.” There was one marked and two unmarked cars outside. He said there was an immense amount of shouting outlining that gardaí were present before they breached the property.

In his victim impact statement Garda Murphy said: “The phrase injured on duty or in the line of duty cannot ever be justified or comprehended when a garda is brutally attacked. My attack could easily have been fatal.

“The actions of Gerard Forte could easily have caused me to be remembered as a number on the wall of Templemore.”

He added: “A wife left without her husband; children left without their father; parents having to bury their son; brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews all mourning the loss of another garda member.”

He said attacks like this one “affects many more people than just me.” He continued: “The fear of whether or not I will return home, the fear that I would be attacked again is our reality; the fear that next time I won’t be lucky is our reality; the sleepless nights for those at home waiting for my car to pull into the drive is our reality; the hours spent wondering if I’m safe is our reality.”

He said there was no doubt that Mr Forte tried to “fatally injure” him. He recalled how “he attempted to strike me on the back of the head while my back was turned, trying to strike a fatal blow.” He told the court it was only for the quick actions of Garda Fox that he survived.

He described his injuries, saying he now has an irreversible injury to his shoulder and continues to receive treatment.

He said he has mental trauma reliving the event, he feels “low, depressed and fragile” and often “vulnerable and insecure.

“If garda members are attacked how can anyone feel safe,” he told the court. “This is not the norm in any other public sector job. Gardaí are attacked every day, even now working to protect people and to detect and prevent crime. There are effects for the wider community, for members of the gardaí and for the residents of Roscommon.” 

He said attacks like this should not be tolerated or accepted. “There are 90 names on the walls of Templemore, which is too many. I feel like the lucky one.” 

A further victim impact statement from Garda Fox was handed into the court.

The court further heard that Mr Forte had not attended the probation services and only contacted them on June 13th. Two letters of apology to the gardaí were also entered into the court.

Judge Connolly stated he had “no intention of forcing the gardaí to read the apology.” He remanded the defendant in custody due to the “serious nature of the charges” adding, “I don’t believe he didn’t know they were gardaí. It is intolerable that anyone is submitted to this in their work.”

Referring to Garda Murphy’s victim impact statement he said: “The jarring line of all is the demeanour when signing on — repulsive. That is utterly unacceptable.” He remanded Mr Forte in custody to the October 7th court sessions and ordered the preparation of a probation report and a psychiatric report.

The accused was represented by Nessa O’Callaghan BL with Mr Sean O’Quigley instructed by Roscommon State Solicitor Kieran Madigan appearing for the DPP.