Jurors to continue deliberating on assault claim against former Clare hurler Niall Gilligan
Mr Gilligan (48), of Rossroe, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, denies assault causing harm with a stick of a boy, then 12, at the Jamaica Inn hostel, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, in 2023.
The jury at Ennis Circuit Court deliberated for nearly three hours on Tuesday before asking the judge: 'What is the next step if we are not unanimous?'
Judge Francis Comerford said there were various procedures that can kick in, but it was 'always preferable' to reach a unanimous verdict.
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He told them to break for the day to 'make a fresh start' in the morning.
In his closing speech to the jury on Monday, Patrick Whyms, defending, said Mr Gilligan 'didn't know that he was dealing with a child and did not create this situation'.
Mr Whyms said Mr Gilligan 'was at the end of his tether' over vandalism being done to a vacant property he was trying to sell.
Putting forward the defence of reasonable force, Mr Whyms said Mr Gilligan was 'in the dark and believed that he was under siege' on the night of October 5th, 2023.
Sarah Jane Comerford, prosecuting, said: 'This is a story of a man who lost his cool.'
She said Mr Gilligan 'lost control and punished the boy for the damage and inconvenience caused to his property on a morning when he had to clean up human faeces and urine from his property'.
The jury continues its deliberations on Wednesday.
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