This article is from page 14 of the 2006-04-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
A SENIOR member of Clare County Council said yesterday that council planners should be able to carry out their daily work without the fear of physical threat.
Leader of the Fianna Fáil group and trenchant critic of the council’s planning system, Councillor PJ Kelly (FF), was commenting after a 42year-old father of two, twice refused planning permission to build a marina, was fined €400 for assaulting a senior council planner.
Michael Bent of Ballymanogue, Scariff pleaded guilty at Scariff District Court, to assaulting Gordon Daly, former senior executive planner with Clare County Council, at a nightclub in Scariff on September 25 last year.
Mr Daly told the court that Mr Bent “became very aggressive and menacing, started pushing me in the chest, caught me by the throat and said ‘you’ve interfered in my life and you don’t like me interfering in yours now do you?’.”
Mr Daly said that he took this to be a reference to his then job with Clare County Council and Mr Bent being refused planning permission.
Prior to last September’s assault, Mr Bent superglued himself to the doors of the Clare County Council in February 2004 in protest at being refused planning for his proposed marina development.
In court, Mr Daly said that his girlfriend’s cousin intervened, placing herself between him and Mr Bent.
“I felt very threatened, shaken, shocked and also embarrassed given that the incident was viewed by a large number of people in that area of the pub,” said Mr Daly.
Solicitor for Mr Bent, Raymond O’Meara told the court that what happened on the night “was completely out of character for Mr Bent”.
“Mr Bent was intoxicated and things got out of control. Mr Daly suffered no injury as a result of the assault,” he said
Mr O’Meara said that Mr Bent has since apologised for his actions, however, Mr Daly said that he had not received any apology at any time.
Mr O’Meara told the court that Mr Bent had no previous convictions, was a member of the fire-brigade and was prepared to make a charitable donation.
After hearing the evidence, Judge Joseph Mangan imposed a fine of €400
“No one can tolerate this type of behaviour and it should not happen,” Cllr Kelly said.