Latest news with #CoClare
Irish Times
10 hours 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
12 hours ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Clare man (28) jailed for sexual assault and coercive control of his former partner
A woman subjected to coercive control and sexual assault by her former partner has told a court he caused harm 'for his own amusement'. Martin Gooney (28) pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to coercive control and sexual assault. Advertisement The court heard that the victim wishes to retain her anonymity, but has no difficulty with Gooney of Cappabane, Scariff, Co Clare, being identified. On Monday, Gooney was handed a sentence of three years and two months. A post-release supervision order of 12 months was also imposed. Reading her victim impact statement during an earlier hearing, the woman stated that she checks her surroundings to see if Gooney is present and constantly questions her safety. 'The gaslighting was so relentless, he made me believe I was losing my mind and losing control of my being'. Advertisement She said his 'cruel' words and actions affected her sense of self-worth, and it has taken years to make progress, but his behaviour 'completely warped my perception of myself'. The woman said she has developed trust issues and dreads starting a new relationship. 'To compare him to an animal is an insult to the animal kingdom,' she said. 'This man caused harm for his own amusement'. Evidence was outlined that Gooney and the woman's relationship was initially fine, but over time, his behaviour became controlling and abusive towards her. Advertisement In August 2019, Gooney took her phone and used it to send messages to his phone. In these messages, he pretended to be the woman and suggested she was experiencing suicidal ideation. He then deleted all the messages sent between his phone and the woman's phone. She did not know the contents of these messages. Gooney sent these messages, which purported to be from the woman to her mother. He also used these messages during arguments with the woman, saying, 'Watch what you say, have messages from your phone'. Advertisement In early 2020, he found takeaway wrappers in her bin and accused her of seeing another man. The court heard the woman's mother had brought her a takeaway. Gooney was also verbally abusive to the victim, calling her a 'bitch', 'whore' and 'tramp'. During 2020, Gooney, who was no longer living with the woman, insisted she send him photos or Facetime him so he knew her location. On one occasion, the woman's friend had to send him a video to show she was with her. Gooney also placed a sofa in the woman's shed – without her knowledge – so he could stay and watch her. The woman wasn't initially aware that Gooney was staying in her shed. Advertisement He sexually assaulted her in March 2021. Afterwards, Gooney told her he 'wouldn't touch you with riddle stick, wouldn't know what you had, you're a whore'. The court heard there were other incidents of sexual assault. Gooney also said he was going to hang the woman's dog from a tree. Gooney has nine previous convictions, including for road traffic offences, assault and making a threat to kill or cause serious harm. When interviewed by gardaí, Gooney denied any wrongdoing. 'Sorry for the hassle' Gooney took the stand and read a letter of apology to the woman. He said he was 'sorry for the hassle caused' during their relationship. He said he was 'young and stupid' and 'selfish'. Gooney said he never thought about how his actions would make the woman feel or how they would hurt her. He told his defence counsel he was prepared to engage with the Probation Services and any suitable programmes. Vincent Heneghan SC, prosecuting, asked Gooney, 'was the way [the woman] was feeling not obvious to you?'. He replied: 'No'. A man gave character evidence on behalf of Gooney. He began his evidence by telling the court that his family and Gooney's 'are highly respected and thought of in our communities'. He said Gooney was a friend of his son's. 'He's always been good to us'. He described Gooney as an 'outstanding machine driver' and a hard worker. He added that he was aware of an incident in 2020 where Gooney saved a woman's life. The man told Mr Heneghan that he knew of Gooney's relationship with the woman, but did not know about the defendant's behaviour towards her. 'No, it wasn't brought to my attention'. Imposing sentence, Ms Justice Caroline Biggs said the woman's victim impact statement was 'very profound and compelling'. She noted that the woman felt she was 'in constant fight or flight mode' and 'was convinced she was unworthy of love'. She noted from a letter of apology from Gooney that he is 'sorry from the bottom of his heart' and added, 'you did not deserve it'. Ms Justice Biggs said the woman had tried both 'physically and verbally' to stop Gooney, but he behaved as if 'she was his'. 'He behaved in a way that demeaned her,' the judge said, adding that he was aggressive in the way he treated the woman. She noted the 'profound, damaging and long-lasting' impact Gooney's actions had on the woman. Ms Justice Biggs described the coercive control as 'menacing, insidious, intimidating and systematic'. She noted that a probation report stated that he was at a moderate risk of re-offending and was willing to engage with the Probation Service. Ireland Man (22) pleads guilty to attempting to murder his... Read More Ms Justice Biggs imposed concurrent terms of three years and two months for the sexual assault offences and two years and six months for the coercive control. She noted that the woman had previously indicated that the gardaí who assisted her in the prosecution of the case treated her with 'genuine kindness and the utmost care'. Ms Justice Biggs said she was very happy to hear that the woman had been supported in this way by the gardaí. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape Crisis Help. You can contact Women's Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@ or Men's Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@ for support and information.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- Irish Times
My coastal trees and shrubs were damaged by Storm Éowyn. What should I do?
I planted my garden with shrubs and trees which would tolerate salty conditions, living only a couple of hundred metres from the sea. All was well for more than 20 years, until Storm Éowyn. Now there is extensive damage, mostly on one side, to pittosporum, escallonia hedging, evergreen honeysuckle, variegated holly, choisya and viburnum. Most of the leaves have now died and fallen off. On the sheltered side the leaves appear to be undamaged. Should I cut back the damaged side or leave things be and hope there will be new growth later on in the year? Sheila Power, Co Clare While Storm Éowyn caused extensive damage to many established trees and shrubs throughout the country, this was especially the case with coastal gardens along Ireland's west and northern coastline where it hit particularly hard. As I'm sure you know, it's not just the speed and force of these kinds of violent gale force winds that can be so destructive, but also the salt they carry. Such was the exceptional force of Storm Éowyn that it carried salt very far inland, even to counties in the midlands where it could be seen as a white-grey layer on windows and plants the following day. In your own garden where plants are especially exposed to these very salty winds, the extensive damage to the windward side of your evergreen trees and shrubs was caused by the extremely high levels of salt deposits it left on their stems and foliage. This typically burns plant tissue and ruptures plant cells, resulting in browning and discolouration of leaves, dieback of buds and stems, delayed bud break and reduced plant vigour. The resulting shock to plant health is considerable, but the good news is that most will eventually recover. READ MORE As regards cutting back the bare stems, one of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to wait and see. Very often plants will eventually produce new growth after these kinds of extreme weather events, so long as they're given sufficient time to do so, a process of many months. In the meantime, you can check if stems and branches are still alive by using your fingernail to very gently scratch away a small section of the outer layer of the plant cambium. If you see green, this is a very good sign. If the bare stems and branches have remained pliable rather than becoming brittle and brown, this too is a good sign. You can also help your plants to make a full recovery by watering them very well, then sprinkling some slow-release pelleted organic fertiliser around the roots, followed by an organic mulch of home-made compost or well-rotted manure. Unfortunately, the likelihood of these kinds of extreme storms becoming more frequent is much greater because of climate change, so I'd also suggest that you consider increasing the size and depth of your garden's shelterbelt planting if possible. Along with the species that you're already growing, the following will all tolerate exposed seaside growing conditions; Olearia macrodonta; Fuchsia magellanica; Hippophae rhamnoides; Phormium tenax; Pinus nigra; Pinus radiata; Acer pseudoplatanus; Alnus glutinosa; Pinus mugo; and Crataegus sp.
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Teenager arrested after woman (70s) injured following Co Clare car robbery
A teenager has been arrested following the theft of a car from a residential premises in Firhill, Parteen, Co. Clare. The incident occurred at approximately 6:15pm on Friday. Advertisement During the course of this theft, a woman aged in her 70s suffered non-life threatening injuries. She was taken to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. A number of Garda units were dispatched and the vehicle was subsequently located in the Clonard area of Parteen where it had crashed into a ditch. A male juvenile teen was subsequently arrested and taken to a Garda Station in Limerick where he was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He has been referred to the Youth Diversion Programme and a file will be prepared for the DPP. Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to this incident to come forward. Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling on the R464 near Parteen Village and the Clonard area of Parteen are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardaí. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Henry Street Garda Station on 061 212400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. Gardaí say investigations are ongoing.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Swimming coaches recruited from Philippines win back almost €12,000 in wages deducted by employer
Three swimming instructors who were brought over from the Philippines to teach in Ireland and had hundreds of euro a week docked off their wages for 'training costs', before being let go, have won back their pay. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found there was 'no evidence' to back up a claim by the operator of a swimming school that it had spent €3,000 to train each of the workers. One of the workers' former colleagues told the WRC she was hired on the promise of 'a better life in Ireland' only to be 'forced' into taking a pay cut out of fear of dismissal. They were among a group of six Filipino instructors to pursue rights claims against the unidentified swimming school, which were heard in Ennis, Co Clare, in November and December last year. READ MORE Five of the workers have now secured a total of nearly €12,000 between them for breaches of the Payment of Wages Act 1991. An allied claim by the sixth worker has yet to be published by the WRC. All the workers are Filipino nationals. The company's legal representative said it was 'the first European company to obtain a work permit for Filipinos as swimming instructors'. Two of the six instructors started work for the swimming school in June 2022, then four more instructors were recruited in the Philippines in August 2022 and brought to Ireland in January 2023, the WRC heard. However, within months of securing work visas and flying in the new instructors, the school's management moved to shed staff, citing 'financial reasons' for terminating the employment of three of the new recruits during their probationary periods. The employer's position was it had conducted 'intensive' training with the newer instructors for the first three or four weeks they were in Ireland, which had enhanced their skills, and it had paid each of them throughout that period while making no income from them. The owner of the swimming school delivered the training personally and provided employees with 'instructional videos', the workers told the WRC. The employer's position was that this had cost €3,000 to provide. Andrea Montanelli, for the employer, said the company had 'highly invested' in bringing the workers from the Philippines, 'paying for their work permits, for the visa, flights' and so on. She said a total of €1,692.38 was taken from three of the workers' last four pay packets in 'instalments' of €641.45, €497.97, €276.48 and €276.48. The company relied on a training agreement and a deductions-from-pay agreement signed by the three new recruits in the Philippines in August 2022 as the basis for taking the 'instalments'. Under questioning from Elaine Davern-Wiseman, for the group of workers, the employees said these agreements were provided to them in English, without a translation into the Tagalog language, and that they signed them without having an opportunity to take legal advice. The workers each said they were already qualified swimming instructors when they were recruited and they said the only training they had was in how to teach swimming lessons 'the [company] way'. In her ruling, WRC adjudicator Orla Jones wrote that the employer 'did not provide any evidence to support the claim' that the training for the three new recruits actually cost the business €3,000 each. It could not rely on the agreements signed in the Philippines by the workers when they did not have the benefit of legal advice or an interpreter, she said. She said in her decision that the wording of the training costs agreement was that €3,000 referred to charging €3,000 to each worker if they were to 'leave' the employment. Ms Jones wrote that each of the workers had their jobs terminated and had not chosen to leave. The names of the company and the employees were anonymised in WRC decisions published this week because they were linked to parallel proceedings under the Industrial Relations Act 1969, which must be heard in private.
