A JUDGE has said that a brother and sister who threw up to 32 eggs at their aunt during a five minute long ‘egg assault’ have shown ‘no remorse’ and ‘no apology’ for their actions.
At Gort District Court on Thursday, Judge Mary Larkin convicted and fined brother and sister, Cathal Connors (26) and Michelle Connors (21) both of Fannaun, Peterswell concerning the egg assault on their aunt, Mary Fahy outside their home
at around 6.30pm on October 17th 2019.
Judge Larkin fined each €500 for the assault on Mary Fahy and fined each an additional €500 for the criminal damage of Ms Fahy’s Ford Kuga.
In evidence, Mary Fahy told the court previously said that her face got ‘banged’ and ‘bashed’ with the eggs thrown by her nephew and niece on the date.
Mrs Fahy told the court: “It was bang, bang, bang, bang. I thought they were stones and they continued for five minutes or thereabouts and banging eggs off my face”.
Mrs Fahy told the court that her niece and nephew threw “a dozen and a score of eggs” at her.
After reading Mrs Fahy’s hand written victim impact statement and a Probation Report on the two accused, Judge Larkin said, “I had hoped that I could deal with these matters by not criminalising two young people. I am quite satisfied that there isn’t any other way. That is because there is no acknowledgement of what went on, there is no apology and no remorse”.
Judge Larkin added, “I seriously regret that I have to convict these young people. Their parents and everyone who is involved in this very sad story should sit back and think about the shortness of life”. She added, “They are young people and shouldn’t be going forward in this manner”.
At the end of the contested hearing in the case of January of last year, Judge Larkin said that the two siblings “deliberately assaulted this woman” with eggs.
Judge Larkin said that the court had heard a history of family discord and unpleasantness linked to land “and these two young people got involved in whatever familial dispute that has been going on over land”.
In evidence, Mrs Fahy said she still has a mark on her face from the egg assault but that it wasn’t visible in court as she was wearing make-up.
Mrs Fahy who lives 2.5km from the Connors property said that her niece and nephew “had seen me coming at a distance… I knew they were getting at me and that they had something in mind”.
Mrs Fahy stated that she was driving her Ford Kuga car past her brother, Patrick Connors’ home after getting shopping in Gort when Mr Connors’ two children carried out their egg assault.
Mrs Fahy said that she got ‘banged’ with eggs in the face as she slowed down and had her car window down three quarters.
Mrs Fahy agreed with solicitor for Cathal and Michelle Connors, John Nash that there have been difficulties between her brother, Patrick Connors and a sister concerning a farm of land.
Mrs Fahy said, “he tried to take over her farm…he is the one man causing all the problems”.
Mrs Fahy said that she wasn’t able to continue driving because she was in shock. She said: “I got such a fright, my head just went. I am passing there 38 years and I never saw that before”.
As a result of the assault, Mrs Fahy said “my blood pressure was through the roof and I had to get three days off work”.
Mrs Fahy’s son James was the first on the scene and he told the court that his mother “was in shock, shivering and very upset” when he arrived.
He said that there were eggs on her face, her clothing and the interior of the car and egg shells on the road.
He said: “Her glasses were off her face. There was an egg sitting on her chest. Her trousers were all eggs. The back headrest was dripping with eggs”.
