Judge Mary Devins adjourned an assault case in Ballyhaunis this week so that gardaí can follow up on a claim made by the defendant during his evidence. Steve Issac with an address at The Old Convent, Ballyhaunis, was in court accused of assaulting Amar Satter at Abbey Street, Ballyhaunis, on December 4 2010. Satter had told the court that Issac had done some work for him in his shop on Abbey Street in the town. But when he had no more work, Issac began to harass him and text him. He claimed that on December 4 he saw Issac walking back and over in front of his shop and he texted him to tell him to leave him alone. He went on to say that he was outside his shop after 6pm in the evening when Issac came up to him and started abusing him, culminating in Issac grabbing him around his throat and pushing him against the wall.
In his evidence to the court Issac said that he had been doing some work for Sattar prior to this but he stopped working for him when Sattar asked him to smash up his van so he could claim the insurance money for it, and he refused. He told the court that Sattar had been the one who was harassing him and sending him threatening text messages. Issac went on to say that he had told the gardaí about Sattar asking him to smash up his van previously. Judge Mary Devins asked the prosecuting Garda Alan Ryan had he any knowledge of Issac’s statement to gardaí in relation to the van. Garda Ryan told the court he did not. Judge Devins adjourned the case until July 5 so gardaí could look into the Issac’s allegation that he had told gardaí about being asked to smash up Sattar’s van.
