Main pic: A screen grab from the incident which involved a number of men from the North.
A university student from Fermanagh has escaped a conviction after apologising for his part in a ‘serious incident’ in which a number of Donegal Town Gardaí were injured.
Mark Hughes (22) of Dressoge Road, Maguiresbridge, was before today’s sitting of Donegal District Court in Ballyshannon Courthouse.
The incident took place in Donegal Town on October 6, 2024. Gardaí were escorting a group of males from a takeaway when they became aggressive, resulting in a melee which left three officers injured.
Hughes was charged with resisting or wilfully obstructing a peace officer, Garda Gerard James Curtis, on the night in question. He was also charged with using threatening, abusive, or insulting behaviour, and with being intoxicated to the extent of being a danger to himself or others.
Hughes’ solicitor, Kevin Hickey, invited his client to take the witness box and offer an apology.
Mr Hickey said: “You have never been in court before, and never been in trouble with anybody. You are a student at Queen’s University studying Quantity Surveying.
“This conduct in the night, you were involved in this fracas. What would you say to the court?”
Hughes replied: “I want to fully apologise to anyone who was involved. Guards were just trying to do their job. It was a foolish error. It has been very tough with what has been happening.”
Mr Hickey then asked if Hughes had understood the distress he had caused to his mother, who had never had to deal with this before in her life, and if Hughes had learned a lesson.
Hughes responded that the incident was something he regretted and that he would definitely not get involved like this ever again.
Mr Hickey concluded: “You want to get involved in your career because you have great opportunities. You have hopes that you want to travel.”
Inspector Mick Doherty, prosecutor for the State, told the court it was a ‘serious incident’ involving a lot of garda resources, but the three Gardaí concerned accepted the apology.
“The way he has conducted himself in the courts, I will be optimistic that we will not see each other in the courts again, and I am optimistic we will not cross paths again,” he said.
Judge Éiteáin Cunningham said Hughes had demonstrated his apology and his regret, but it is a ‘very serious’ situation.
“Members of An Garda Síochána have a specific role and a duty in protecting the community, and when they are prevented from doing so, it is very concerning from the court’s perspective,” she said.
“Credit must be given for the way you have dealt with the matter before the court. I am conscious that you did publicly apologise to members of An Garda Síochána.”
Judge Cunningham said that the Gardaí accepted the apology and that they felt it was fair that the accused had ‘learned his lesson.’
“It is the most serious matter that would ordinarily warrant conviction and consideration for sentencing,” she added.
Judge Cunningham said she was applying in “exceptional circumstances,” the Probation Act after having taken everything into account, noting that the accused had no previous convictions.
“If he were to come back to the court in any other matters, he would not be awarded that opportunity. It would seem to me that he is not likely to come back to the courts,” she concluded.
Judge Cunningham applied the Probation Act for the offence, leaving the defendant without a criminal conviction.
The other charges against Hughes were taken into consideration, meaning he would not be prosecuted for them.
NI student avoids conviction after apology to Gardaí over ‘serious incident’ was last modified: March 10th, 2026 by Staff Writer
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