This article is from page 16 of the 2007-07-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
A KILRUSH man who “fabricated a tissue of lies” to cover for having thrashed two cars has been sent to jail for a week while a judge decides on his sentence.
Martin Walsh (49) of 20 Island View had denied causing almost €4,000 worth of damage to two cars belonging to Mary O’Brien and her partner, Anthony Shannon at 22 O’Gorman Street, Kilrush, on No- vember 28, 2005.
Ennis Circuit Court heard that Mary O’Brien was roused from bed by her sister in the early hours of the morn- ing on that date and she looked out
the window and saw “Martin Walsh with what looked like a baseball bat. I saw him strike the back window of my partner’s car and smash it”.
O’Brien told the court that her own car had already been damaged.
When challenged by the defence barrister, Lorcan Connolly on her statement to the gardai, O’Brien agreed that she had not said in that statement that she saw the accused actually breaking the window of her partner’s car.
Garda Michael Ryan told the court that he went to Walsh’s home after speaking to the injured parties and found him “sitting on the ground in a coal shed in the back yard.”
The court heard that glass shards found on the accused’s clothing matched the glass in one of the car windows.
Walsh denied having anything to do with the damage to the two cars and the court also heard alibi evidence from his sister, Margaret Reilly, that he was nowhere near the scene of the damage.
Walsh told the court he was in the shed because he had a row earlier with his partner and she was not al- lowing him back in the house. “She threw me and my dinner out – the shed is the doghouse. I’m there fairly often’, he said.
After a jury found Walsh guilty
on two counts of criminal damage, Judge Sean O Donnabhain said he could give him no credit in the mat- ter and refused a defence plea that he be allowed organise compensation before sentencing.
After hearing that Walsh had re- ceived some compensation after be- ing seriously assaulted, the Judge said that he had experienced “some restorative justice but he has dragged these people through the court and or NN Tere Mm daosne mere Dace
‘He has fabricated a tissue of les,” the judge added.
He adjourned final sentencing and remanded Walsh in custody until July 5.