An “appalling attack” by a Castlebar man who assaulted a father who was pushing his two-year-old daughter in a buggy through Castlebar town centre on a Sunday afternoon, led to Judge Mary Devins commenting that the case represented the “cult of the self”, “cult of the ego”, and the “cult of the individual” which is rampant in society, during Castlebar District Court on Wednesday.
Inspector Mick Murray outlined that on Sunday July 27 at 2.10pm on Cavendish Lane, Mr Gerard Duffy was pushing his daughter’s buggy when he approached a car which was parked on the left hand side of the road on double yellow lines and was up on the narrow footpath. Mr Duffy asked the female driver of the car, Susan Mannion, to move the car, to which he was told to go around the car onto the road.
After Mr Duffy walked closely by the car, the passenger of the car Daryl Lyttle, Pheasant Hill, Castlebar, got out of the car and assaulted Mr Duffy from behind with his fists to the head.
Mr Duffy told the court that after he asked Susan Mannion, twice, if he could get by and was told by her that he should walk on the road, he went around the car and may have unintentionally tipped the car with his buggy, before Lyttle shouted “you f**king c**t” and assaulted him. Mr Duffy said that he was separated from the buggy when the attack was taking place.
Defending solicitor Aidan Crowley said that the defendant’s girlfriend was running across the road to a clothes store, to which Judge Devins asked if it was “a matter of emergency”. Mr Crowley said that Lyttle was just recovering from back surgery, with the judge interjecting “yet he jumped out of the car”. Mr Crowley said his clients claimed that Mr Duffy told them “you can’t f**king park there” and “move the car you f**king c**t” before he jammed the buggy against the vehicle and said to Lyttle “get out of the car you ignorant c**t” and put his hand through the window of the car towards the defendant.
Susan Mannion told the court that she should have parked in a proper place but she was just exchanging a top. She said that when she was getting out of the car she was told by Mr Duffy that she could not park there and he told her to move the car but she told him to go around the car as there was no traffic coming at the time.
Judge Devins asked her if she was more important that a baby in a little pram to which Ms Mannion said she was sorry. Ms Mannion said that after coming out of the shop she heard a commotion outside, before she saw Mr Duffy drag the buggy alongside the car. Ms Mannion said that following the incident she took pictures of dents to the wing mirror and scrapes to the car.
Judge Devins said to Ms Mannion that “you were in the wrong”, “you were parking dangerously”. When asked by the judge if she would have brought her own child out onto the road if she couldn’t get by a car, she said that she wouldn’t have spoken to the person the way Mr Duffy spoke to her. Ms Mannion said that she was intimidated by Mr Duffy as he had a skinhead and tattoos. Judge Devins said “you were not intimidated as you continued to the shop.”
Lyttle, a 33-year-old carpenter, said that Mr Duffy was shouting, roaring, and aggressive and rammed the buggy into the side of the car. The defendant said that Mr Duffy was directly confrontational with him as he put his hand through the window of the car, which provoked Lyttle into getting out of the car. The defendant said that he regretted his actions thereafter as this was totally out of character for him.
Inspector Mick Murray described the attack as “bizarre” and “most appalling” and Judge Devins said that it was “unbelievable” that a person in the wrong attacked another. Judge Devins said that Ms Mannion seemed to think that on the day she was more important than anyone else. The judge said that the “cult of the self”, is personified in the advert “because you’re worth it”— but said to Lyttle and Ms Mannion that “you are not worth it”.
Lyttle was convicted and fined €100 and given a three month prison sentence which was suspended on the condition that the defendant be of good behaviour, keeps the peace, and has no convictions recorded for 12 months. The judge also ordered that €1,000 compensation be paid to Mr Duffy and suggested that it be put into a trust fund for the “little lady whose life was put in danger” on that day.
