Man to appear in court after guard assaulted on Athlone street

A young man is due to come before Mullingar District Court today in connection with the assault of a guard in Athlone in the early hours of this morning.

The incident happened in Church Street at approximately 3am, when gardaí were called to deal with a disturbance.

During the course of the arrest of a young man, a garda spokesperson said a female officer was hit in the face leaving her with swelling to the cheekbone. She is due to receive medical attention and X-rays later today.

The man, who is in his late teens, was subsequently detained and brought to Athlone Garda Station where he was later charged with assault and public order offences.

He is due to appear before Mullingar District Court today in connection with the early morning incident.

Gardaí reported much larger crowds than normal congregating in the town last night (Wednesday) and into the early hours, something they attributed to the new midnight closing time for pubs and nightclubs in force from tonight (Thursday, November 18).