BY DAVID FORSYTHE
A MAN who assaulted his wife’s new partner at a busy GAA match ‘made an absolute show of himself’, according to the judge at a recent sitting of Bandon District Court.
Court presenter Inspector Roisín O’Dea told the court that Barry Collins, 48, of Breaghna, Enniskeane, was pleading guilty to the assault of Matthew O’Donovan at St Oliver Plunkett’s GAA Club, Ahiohill, on June 30th, 2023.
Sergeant Kevin Heffernan said that Mr Collins punched Mr O’Donovan in the face with such force that the injured party suffered two black eyes and a broken nose.
The incident happened at about 8pm at an under 20s hurling game that Matthew O’Donovan was attending with his partner, Mr Collins’ wife.
Mr Collins’ two sons were also present, as well as numerous witnesses who were attending the match that evening.
The court heard that Mr O’Donovan was off work for two days as a result of the assault and was at a loss of approximately €600 as a result. He also had incurred medical expenses for pain relief.
Defence solicitor Éamonn Fleming said Mr Collins’ wife was now in a relationship with Mr O’Donovan.
Mr Fleming said that tempers on the night in question were high and that Mr Collins also had drink taken.
He added that his client admitted he was at fault, had written a letter of apology to the injured party, and had brought €1,500 to court in compensation.
Judge Marie Keane said that Mr Collins’ behaviour was ‘nothing short of outrageous’ and the court could only form the view that it was a premeditated assault.
She said that the assault was ‘beyond cowardly’ and that Mr Collins had ‘made an absolute show of himself in front of his own children, their mother and half the parish’.
She added the letter of apology was ‘minimal’ and the compensation offered ‘derisory’.
The judge said: ‘By his victim impact statement Mr O’Donovan is not a whinger and he seems to just want to get on with his life.
‘He had to suffer the indignity, however, of going through two airports when he went on his holidays looking like he’d gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.’
She told Mr Collins that he would need to apologise to the teams and management at the GAA club for his behaviour and bound him to keep the peace for 12 months on his own bond of €100. She also ordered him to pay Mr O’Donovan €3,000 in compensation.
