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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
Former Clare hurler Niall Gilligan ‘whacked' boy (12) with stick, jury hears
Former All-Star and Clare All-Ireland winning hurler Niall Gilligan 'whacked' a boy (12) on the leg with a stick during an alleged assault in 2023, a jury was told on Wednesday. Counsel for the State Sarah-Jane Comerford (BL) laid out the case against Mr Gilligan (48), of Rossroe, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, in her opening speech to the jury at Ennis Circuit Court. Mr Gilligan denies the charge of assault causing harm of the boy. Ms Comerford said on October 5th, 2023, a then 12-year-old and his then 13-year-old friend went into the Jamaica Inn hostel in Sixmilebridge. She said the two believed the property was abandoned. READ MORE 'They were exploring the building when the accused, Niall Gilligan, who owned the property at the time, arrived to check on it.' Ms Comerford said the jury will hear the property was vandalised and broken into in the days leading up to October 5th. They will be told the two boys were outside the property when they saw Mr Gilligan and ran. The 12-year-old will tell the jury 'he slipped in a puddle and the accused came up behind him and whacked him on the leg with a stick and the accused kept hitting him in the leg, his ribs, his hip, his elbow and his hand'. Ms Comerford said medical evidence of the injuries sustained will be heard and the jury will see photos of bruising and cuts. The boy will tell the jury that after the alleged assault Mr Gilligan grabbed him by the jacket and brought him out to the road and asked him his name and who his father was. The boy will say 'he sat on a wall for a while because he has asthma and could barely breathe', Ms Comerford said. The other boy (13) will say he ran at the same time and managed to get away. He will say he heard screaming from his friend. Ms Comerford said the 13-year old met up with his friend after the incident 'and let him lean on him' while he tried to walk home. Ms Comerford said the 12-year-old told the other boy to leave in case he was caught by the accused. Ms Comerford said that the boy (12) made his way to the local GAA club and was given a lift home by a woman there who will give evidence in the case. He was later brought to hospital. Ms Comerford said Mr Gilligan was subsequently arrested and gave an account of what he said happened and his interactions with the boy at the Jamaica Inn hostel, 'which he told gardaí were in self-defence'. The trial continues before a jury of seven men and five women.
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Former Clare hurler 'whacked' young boy with stick during alleged assault, trial hears
A jury was told on Wednesday that former All-Ireland winning hurler Niall Gilligan 'whacked' a 12-year-old boy on the leg with a stick during an alleged assault in October 2023. At Ennis Circuit Court, prosecuting counsel Sarah Jane Comerford BL laid out the State case against Mr Gilligan (48) in her opening speech to the jury. Advertisement Former All-Star Clare hurler Mr Gilligan, of Rossroe, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, denies the charge of assault causing harm to the boy. Ms Comerford said that on October 5th, 2023, a then 12-year-old and his then 13-year-old friend went into the Jamaica Inn hostel in Sixmilebridge. She said the two believed that the property was abandoned. "They were exploring the building when the accused, Niall Gilligan, who owned the property at the time, arrived to check on it," Ms Comerford said. Advertisement She said the jury will hear that the property was vandalised and broken into in the days leading up to October 5th. Ms Comerford said the jury will be told that the two boys were outside the property when they saw Niall Gilligan. She said that when they saw Mr Gilligan, the two boys ran and the 12-year-old will tell the jury that 'he slipped in a puddle and the accused came up behind him and whacked him on the leg with a stick and the accused kept hitting him in the leg, his ribs, his hip, his elbow and his hand'. Ms Comerford said the jury will hear medical evidence of the injuries sustained by the boy and see photos of bruising and cuts that the 12-year-old will tell them were caused by Mr Gilligan hitting him with a wooden stick. Advertisement The prosecuting barrister said the boy will tell the jury after the alleged assault Mr Gilligan grabbed him by the jacket and brought him out to the road and asked him his name and who his father was. Ms Comerford said the boy will tell the jury 'that he sat on a wall for a while because he has asthma and could barely breathe'. There he met his 13-year-old friend again and that boy will say that he saw Mr Gilligan outside the Jamaica Inn and he ran at the same time as his friend and managed to get away. Ms Comerford said the 13-year-old will say that he heard screaming from his friend 'and he waited in an industrial estate beside the property and while he was relatively safe there, he was still very scared'. Advertisement A few minutes later, the 13-year old met up with his 12-year-old friend 'and let him lean on him while his friend tried to walk home,' she told the court. Ms Comerford said the 12-year-old told him to leave in case he was caught by the accused. She said the 12-year-old made his way to the local GAA club and was given a lift home by a lady there who will give evidence in the case. Ms Comerford said that once home the boy was brought to a local VHI clinic and was then brought to University Hospital Limerick where he was treated for his injuries and where gardaí were called. Advertisement Ireland Former TD and mother of six tells court she is una... Read More The court was told that Mr Gilligan was later arrested by gardaí and gave an account of what he said happened on October 5th and his interactions with the 12-year-old boy at the Jamaica Inn hostel 'which he told gardaí were in self defence and you will hear that in due course'. Ms Comerford said Mr Gilligan denies assaulting the boy with a wooden stick and he has pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault causing harm. Mr Gilligan is also pleading not guilty to producing a wooden stick capable of inflicting serious injury during the course of a dispute contrary to Section 11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act at the Jamaica Inn at Sixmilebridge on October 5th, 2023. The trial continues before a jury of seven men and five women.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
Former All-Star hurler Niall Gilligan denies assaulting boy with stick at Co Clare hostel
Former All-Star and Clare All-Ireland winning hurler Niall Gilligan has pleaded not guilty to the assault of a boy. Mr Gilligan (48) appeared before Ennis Circuit Court on Tuesday. He said 'not guilty' when arraigned on the charge of assault causing harm to the boy at the Jamaica Inn Hostel, Broadford Road, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, on October 5th, 2023. Mr Gilligan, of Rossroe, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, also replied not guilty to a charge of producing a wooden stick capable of inflicting serious injury at the same location on the same date. READ MORE Sarah-Jane Comerford, for the State, told the court Mr Gilligan was alleged to have assaulted the boy 'and used a wooden stick during that assault'. She said it was expected the trial would take four to five days and should finish by Tuesday or Wednesday next week. Seven men and five women were then selected from the panel of jurors to serve on the jury. Judge Francis Comerford told them the trial would start on Wednesday morning and adjourned the case until then.
