A man whose family was evicted from local authority housing last month after a campaign of anti-social behaviour in their estate, was convicted in the District Court this week (November 17 ) of an assault on a female former neighbour and fined €200.
Colm Quinn (38 ), formerly of 27, Brawney Square, Athlone but presently a guest of the Department of Justice until at least March 28, was in court to plead guilty to the Section 2 assault charge, committed in Brawney Square on March 22.
“It was a dispute between neighbours and there was some ongoing bad feeling,” said Superintendent Aidan Glacken.
“The defendant got into a dispute and assaulted the injured party by pulling and dragging her. Her hair was pulled and she was knocked to the ground. She received some scratching and bruising,” said the superintendent.
“My client is pleading guilty today and will take whatever is coming,” said defending solicitor, Mr Mark Cooney. He explained how his client was a “36-year-old married man with two children”.
“The defendant and his family are no longer living there [the scene of the assault] as the family was evicted in October,” said Mr Cooney. The family is now in the care of the HSE as they await a Supreme Court appeal on the eviction, after the High Court found for the council on two occasions.
After hearing how Quinn had been sentenced to six months in prison in September and was not due to be released until March 28, Judge Eamon O’Brien gave credit for the guilty plea and fined him €200.
