Glass thrown at bar worker and shop owner attacked
A row over a bet on a game of pool in a pub resulted in one man finishing his pint and throwing the glass at a bar worker and missing her but causing €1,200 damage to a TV screen, .
Inspector John Deasy said the man then went to a nearby Centra, where he got into another row and assaulted the owner and a member of staff.
Judge Olann Kelleher said this vicious attack in the shop was one of the worst he had seen in recent years at Cork District Court.
William Condon, of Youghal and no fixed address, was described by his solicitor Pat Horan as having a bad anger-management problem.
When Judge Kelleher imposed a total jail term of 19 months (24 months is the maximum limit of the court) on Condon, the 24-year-old said, “fucking prick”, as he was taken into custody.
The owner of The Gallows Bar, Cork, Noel Cremin, said €1,200 damage was caused to a 65in TV screen when Condon threw the glass.
He said a female member of staff was in the bar and two men were served alcoholic beverages and everything was fine for 20 minutes “but, for whatever reason, he struck another patron in the bar”.
Mr Horan, solicitor, said Condon was not charged with that. The judge said he was entitled to hear the background and he added of Mr Cremin: “He is a citizen of the city. His premises was broken up. Be respectful to him.”
Mr Cremin said: “He [Condon] finished his pint of lager. He flung the pint glass at her [the bar woman]. He missed her and struck the TV set.”
The owner of Centra, Denroche’s Cross, Denis Whelton, said the defendant came to his shop with another man that evening, August 30, 2017.
He said that what happened was the most serious incident in 15 years of running the family business.
Shams Rahman Parcha was working behind the counter when Condon and his accomplice got so difficult he had to call for the assistance of his employer
Mr Whelton said: “I strove to protect myself and the member of staff. I was head-butted. I was punched three times in the head. He spat in my face… It has made me nervous.”
Judge Kelleher described counts of assault causing harm to Mr Whelton and Shams Rahman Parcha as terribly vicious.
“It was quite a terrifying attack, as vicious as I have seen at Cork District Court in the last few years,” he said.
Imposing eight months for a theft and 11 months consecutive for the assaults, the judge described the case as exceptional and one that did not merit the sentences being made concurrent.
Judge Kelleher sentenced Condon before lunch and asked that he be brought back after lunch in relation to his outburst after sentencing. Condon apologised.
