A Donegal man, who assaulted a taxi driver by punching him in the side of his face on the night the accused proposed to his girlfriend, was ordered to hand over up to €1,800 in fines and compensation.
Stephen Kennedy (30 ) with an address at Port Inver, Donegal, was summoned to appear before Galway District Court last Monday for being intoxicated in a public place, threatening and abusive behaviour, criminal damage, and assault of Tony Okocha at Eyre Square on October 30, 2008.
Inspector Pat McHugh told the court that a taxi driver had just picked up a woman passenger when she saw the defendant, her boyfriend, on the street and asked that he be picked up also. The defendant got into the back of the taxi and slammed the door. When the driver asked Kennedy to take it easy with the door Kennedy became very aggressive and punched the driver in the side of the face. Kennedy got out of the taxi, slammed the door breaking its hinges, and left the scene.
The court then heard that the taxi driver received bruises to the side of his face and that there was damage to the eight-seater vehicle costing €312.13.
The defendant’s solicitor said that his client, a stone mason by trade, had stopped drinking since the incident. He said that on the night Kennedy had just asked his girlfriend to marry him but that this relationship was now broken up. An offer of €500 compensation was then made, but more time was requested to allow the defendant to pay more money.
Judge Fahy took the criminal damage into account as €500 had been handed over for the damage caused to the vehicle. She then convicted and fined him €500 for the assault and ordered that a further €500 in compensation be paid to the injured party. For threatenening and abusive behaviour Kennedy was further fined €300.
