A man who left babysitting duties to get involved in an altercation at a First Communion party was fined €250 in the District Court this week (June 16 ).
Inspector Nicholas Farrell told the court how gardai had been called to an altercation outside Brownes Bar on Connaught Street on May 15 last year where the defendant, Eamonn Cunniffe (27 ), of The Orchard, Ballymahon Road, Athlone was arrested for his part in it.
His solicitor, Padraig Quinn, told the court how Cunniffe had been babysitting on the day in question when he was made aware of a dispute at a family fFirst Communion celebration at the bar.
He was not admitted to the bar but when the dispute moved to the street outside Cunniffe said he only got involved after he claimed his mother was assaulted.
“He only came to the defence of his mother,” said Mr Quinn.
Inspector Farrell told the court how Cunniffe had 15 previous convictions, 14 of them for public order offences, and the most recent being in October, 2009.
Judge David Anderson accepted this and fined Cunniffe €250 for his behaviour, giving him three months to pay.
