This article is from page 22 of the 2013-02-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
THREE men described by a Judge as being “armed to the hilt” outside a post office in Ennis last summer could have caused “huge injury and hurt”, a court has heard.
Details of the incident, which occurred at 11.30am at Bank Place, Ennis on June 6, 2012, were heard at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.
Michael Carr (22), with an address at Rose Cottage, Clarecastle and Martin Faulkner (23), with an address at Rose Cottage, Clarecastle were both charged with offences un der the firearms and offensive weapons act. Mr Carr pleaded guilty to the possession of a golf club intended by him unlawfully to cause injury to, incapacitate or intimidate a person.
Mr Faulkner pleaded guilty to possession of a timber bat intended by him unlawfully to cause injury to, incapacitate or intimidate a person.
A third man – Michael Mongans (23), with an address at Clarehill, Clarecastle, also appeared in court in connection with the incident at Bank Place. He pleaded guilty to possession of a machete.
Garda Trevor Shannon, of Ennis Garda Station, told the court that the three men became involved in a dispute between two other parties outside the post office.
The court heard the men had brought the weapons to intimidate another man who fled into the Bank of Ireland. The man did not sustain any injuries, the court heard.
Garda Shannon said the weapons were not recovered and the three accused men fled the scene.
The men were subsequently identified from CCTV footage of the area.
The court heard Mr Faulkner and Mr Carr have no previous convictions. Mr Mongans has previous convictions.
Solicitor for Mr Faulkner and Mr Carr, Daragh Hassett, said his clients had arrived at the “tail end of the dispute” and had been put under pressure to get involved.
He said Mr Carr is a “law abiding man” who had never been in trouble with the gardaí before. Mr Hassett said Mr Faulkner had never been to court before. He added, “He wishes to apologise profusely for his behaviour on the day.”
Solicitor Tara Godfrey said Michael Mongans’s attendance at the post office was “entirely coincidental.”
She told the court that her client suffers from depression and is the father of a seriously ill infant.
Judge Patrick Durcan said the people of Ennis had been confronted with the sight of three men actively involved with other third parties.
He said the timber bat and golf club were not for sporting purposes on the day while “there was no good purpose to have the machete.”
He said the three accused were “armed to the hilt” and could have caused “huge injury and hurt.”
Judge Durcan described the behaviour as “blaggardly”, “insolent” and “thuggish”. Noting Mr Faulkner and Mr Carr had shown a level of total cooperation with gardaí, he imposed 100-hour community service orders on each accused. Their cases were adjourned until March 20.
Of Mr Mongans, Judge Durcan said he had brought the most serious of the three weapons and the one that was most lethal. Mr Mongans was sentenced to six months in prison. Recognances were fixed in the event of an appeal.