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Irish Times
6 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Man pleads guilty to headbutting father over ‘a football at local school'
A Co Clare man has admitted assault after headbutting a father at a GAA ground. Judge Alec Gabbett told Killaloe District Court that Maurice Crotty (43) 'sees red and takes off – that is the problem'. He said the background to the assault at Smith O'Brien's GAA club by Crotty on Aidan Fleming was 'over an issue over a football at the local school and an email exchange'. Tara Godfrey, defending, said 'there was also tensions over a WhatsApp group and contributions made'. READ MORE Crotty admitted assaulting Mr Fleming on May 29th last year in Killaloe, east Clare. The judge said he was minded to impose a three-month prison term on Crotty 'and whether I suspend that is the question'. However, Ms Godfrey successfully applied for the case to be adjourned for Crotty to be under the direction of the probation service and complete whatever courses it deemed suitable, including anger management. 'This was a once-in-a-lifetime act of aggression and there has been no incident since,' she told the court, sitting in Ennis, on Tuesday. When the case was first before the court last month, the judge was told Mr Fleming was a GAA coach. After reading his victim impact statement, the judge said the man was not a GAA coach 'and he says that himself here'. Judge Gabbett said on the day of the assault, Crotty went to Mr Fleming's house, but was told Mr Fleming was at the local GAA grounds. The judge said Crotty went to the pitch, called out Mr Fleming and then headbutted him. Mr Fleming, in his victim impact statement, said he had never met Crotty before. He suffered reputational damage when he was assaulted in front of parents and children, he said. In the statement, he said having to explain an unprovoked assault to children was something he never thought he would have to do. Judge Gabbett said the assault had left Mr Fleming with emotional scars. 'This was not a slap. It is a headbutt and is at the higher end of a section two assault charge,' he said, referring to the offence of assault under section two of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997. The judge said his difficulty in the case was that the probation report found Crotty was at moderate risk of reoffending. He said the report stated Crotty downplayed the fact the assault occurred in front of small children at a training session. In response, Ms Godfrey said the assault 'didn't occur in front of small children anywhere'. She said there was a narrative to the assault 'and this was not a situation where Mr Crotty picked out a random person and decided to visit an assault on him'. She said it was her client's case that Mr Fleming had, in an email to a school principal, defamed someone close to Crotty when incorrectly claiming the person had stolen a football. Ms Godfrey said Crotty was ashamed of his actions and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. She said he worked in security and if there was a conviction then he would lose his job. She said he was the sole breadwinner and it would be a devastating blow to his family. Ms Godfrey said her client would be disproportionately punished if he was criminalised. Judge Gabbett said he was conscious of Mr Fleming's victim impact statement and he adjourned the case to December 2nd to allow Crotty, of Millstream, Killaloe, Co Clare, to complete whatever courses the probation services decided he should.
BreakingNews.ie
07-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Father lost control when headbutting GAA coach at U10s training session
A father lost control when headbutting a GAA coach in front of young children playing hurling at an under-10s training session in east Clare in May of last year, a court has heard. At Killaloe District Court sitting in Ennis, Maurice Crotty (43) has pleaded guilty to the assault of juvenile hurling coach, Aidan Fleming at Smith O'Brien's GAA club, Abbey Street, Killaloe on May 29th last contrary to Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997. Advertisement Judge Alec Gabbett told the court: "This man has pleaded guilty to headbutting a coach on a pitch in front of children at an u-10 training session. It is extremely serious.' Solicitor, Tara Godfrey for Mr Crotty of Millstream, Killaloe, told the court that on the day 'unfortunately emotions ran high'. She said: 'Mr Crotty did make admissions and he did plead guilty and he has accepted that his behaviour was intolerable but there was a context to this and there was a long, slow build to this and unfortunately Mr Crotty did lose control.' Judge Gabbett initially questioned why Mr Crotty was before the court on a minor assault summons rather than a more serious assault causing harm charge. Advertisement However, after reviewing a medical report handed into court, Judge Gabbett said that Mr Fleming's 'minor bruising" from the headbutt assault 'was all resolved'. Judge Gabbett said: 'It is a minor offence in the district court. It is being prosecuted under a summons which says a lot and there is a good Probation Report.' Judge Gabbett said that what happened 'was out of the norm for Mr Crotty and he saw red but there are consequences from that'. Judge Gabbett said that the Probation Report in the case found at interview, Mr Crotty did acknowledge that he acted inappropriately and regretted committing the offence before the court. Advertisement Judge Gabbett said that it was of some concern to the Probation Officer in the case that Mr Crotty felt that he had no choice but to commit the assault. Judge Gabbett said that Mr Crotty 'essentially lost his temper' because of his belief concerning some alleged bullying incident that happened with children. Judge Gabbett said that the Probation Report states that there was no evidence that the injured party had targeted Mr Crotty's son but that Mr Crotty became agitated and was adamant that he had. Judge Gabbett told the court: "Mr Crotty is still very upset about this alleged incident with the son.' Advertisement Judge Gabbett said that the Probation Officer also felt that Mr Crotty 'minimised his actions by referring to the head-butt as a rub of heads and downplayed the fact that it occurred in front of small children at a training session'. Judge Gabbett said: 'That is why Mr Crotty is at a moderate risk of re-offending.' In considering sentence, Judge Gabbett said: 'I have to think about children's safety and children witnessing this kind of thing at pitch side is not appropriate.' Judge Gabbett said that the Probation Report shows that Mr Crotty has a long work history and no previous convictions for assault. Ms Godfrey said that Mr Crotty is in a stable long term relationship 'and there hasn't been anything else like this before and there has been nothing like this since." Judge Gabbett said that the one "crucial" missing part of the case was a victim impact statement from the injured party in the case and adjourned sentencing to June 3rd for Mr Fleming to provide a victim impact statement to court.
