VIOLENT ATTACK | 

Dublin man with 124 previous convictions jailed for punching garda ‘out of the blue’

Jason Gumble (29) punched a garda in the stomach and spat in his face in a violent attack that happened “out of the blue”

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A father-of-two punched a garda in the stomach and spat in his face in a violent attack that happened “out of the blue” while the officer was on duty on a city street.

Jason Gumble (29) was jailed for eight months after a court heard another garda who came on the scene was kicked on the leg, and spit hit a third garda’s cheek.

Gumble was believed to have been on a “variety of substances” at the time.

The accused, of Drumalee Park, North Circular Road, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to one garda and common assault on the other two.

Dublin District Court heard the first officer was dealing with a separate incident at Aughrim Street on October 3, 2021 when he came into contact with Gumble.

“Out of the blue,” Gumble got into a violent struggle with the garda, punching him into the stomach and spitting into his face. Both fell to the ground and two female gardaí arrived.

One was spat at onto her cheek and the other was kicked on the leg.

The male garda hurt his back and was out of work for “a little while” but “thankfully nothing came out of the saliva” and the other two officers were uninjured.

When he appeared in court, Gumble was already in custody serving a sentence on another charge. He had 124 previous convictions.

Judge Michele Finan asked the prosecuting garda what he put the latest incident down to.

“He was heavily intoxicated with what I would say was a variety of substances,” the garda said.

Gumble had been heavily addicted to drugs which had “a hold on him” at the time of the incident, his solicitor Sinead Willox said.

He would not ordinarily behave in the way he did, she said.

“These offences against members of An Garda Síochána are inexcusable,” Judge Finan said.

“It’s totally unacceptable that members would be treated in this appalling manner.”