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Well-known GAA player arrested by garda who he had faced in earlier club match

“While on duty late that night he came across this other lad who is a rival on the team he had played earlier that day. Things became heated, words were exchanged and there was a bit of an altercation”

Today at 19:29

A leading west of Ireland GAA star has received an official garda caution after being arrested by an officer he had played against in a major match earlier the same day.

Both sportsmen were playing for rival teams in their county last Sunday, in a tight match full of incident.

After the match ended, one of the players went to start his shift in the garda station where he is based.

A source said: “While on duty late that night he came across this other lad who is a rival on the team he had played earlier that day.

“Things became heated, words were exchanged and there was a bit of an altercation.

“The upshot was the lad who was drinking in the bar and giving the garda guff ended up arrested and was carted off in a paddywagon.”

Our picture shows the arrested sports star – who was on the losing team that day – being brought off in the garda van.

“Gardaí attended a public order incident that occurred at approximately 1.45am on Monday 9th of October 2023 on Main Guard Street in Galway City,” confirmed a Garda spokesperson.

“One man aged in his 30s was arrested in relation to this incident and has since been released without charge and an adult caution has been administered.”

The adult caution system came into effect in Ireland in 2006 as an alternative to prosecuting adults for certain criminal offences.

It is usually used as an alternative to prosecution where there is evidence that the person has committed the offence and where the prosecution of such an offence is not in the public interest.

In deciding whether or not to issue a caution, gardaí – usually with the decision being made by a Garda Superintendent – must consider your alleged behaviour, the surrounding circumstances, evidence of your guilt, your understanding of what a caution is and its significance, the public interest and the views of the victim.

Last weekend’s incident involving GAA stars in the west of Ireland follows hot on the heels of our report last Sunday on a former Derry player and his wife caught up in an altercation earlier this month.

Niall Bradley and his wife Kerri say a short video clip showing them as the apparent aggressors in the altercation outside a fast food outlet in Magherafelt in Co Derry a fortnight ago gives a “distorted” version of events.

The couple said they are “horrified” after a short video, appearing to show Niall in an altercation with a man sitting on a window ledge, was shared on social media.

In the clip, Kerri Bradley is seen tussling with a woman who ends up tumbling to the ground and lying on the road.

The six-second clip of part of the incident was shared and one of the other people involved in the incident made a 37-second ‘montage’ clip, including details about who Kerri and Niall Bradley are, how they have kids, their links to Derry GAA and the fact Kerri has a job as an human resources director.

The video montage also includes a shot of blood on the street and an image of the man who Niall had tussled with — with a badly bruised eye, a bloodied bandage around his head and blood all over his t-shirt and coat.

But speaking to the Sunday World, Kerri Bradley, who admitted “the drink was in for everyone involved”, said the video clip only told part of the story.

“I’m horrified at the video clip going around because it makes us look like we are to blame. But there’s CCTV footage showing the whole thing and you can see them shouting abuse at us. We didn’t start it.

“The men were fighting but the video looks very bad for us. You can see me walking off the road and I thought the woman was going to attack Niall, so I was just pulling her away from him.

“I’d been on the road because I was trying to keep away, but the clip that has been shared all over the place doesn’t show any of that. She ended up falling onto the road…

“I should never have done that and Niall shouldn’t have hit him as much as he did, but we didn’t start the trouble…

“We hardly ever go out and we are good people. We’re not villains. I’m glad we are getting the opportunity to tell our story.”