*A protest held in Scool, Corofin. Photograph: John Mangan
A 19-year old Leaving Cert student has pleaded guilty to the assault causing harm of a man in his sixties at a protest against a rumoured new accommodation centre for asylum seekers in Co Clare last year.
At Ennis District Court, Ross Culligan of Connolly Villas, Ennis pleaded guilty to the assault causing harm of local man, Michael Neylon at Scool, Corofin contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act on May 22nd 2023.
Solicitor for Mr Culligan, Tara Godfrey confirmed her client’s guilty plea.
She said, “I have spoken to my client. He is an Irish speaker – only nineteen and re-sitting his Leaving Cert”.
Judge Gabbett told Ms Godfrey that her client “is very young and I would like to get a Probation Report” for the sentencing hearing.
Ms Godfrey said that Mr Culligan “has completely removed himself from certain influences that he was under at the time”.
After viewing video footage of a stand-off between Mr Neylon and an unidentified man with a Northern Ireland accent in the build-up to the alleged assault last month, Judge Alec Gabbett ruled that the case could be heard in the District Court on a plea of guilty only.
The video footage did not feature Mr Culligan and Judge Alec Gabbett commented “the clip doesn’t show the actual incident resulting in the dent to the eye”.
Judge Gabbett said that the footage “sets the scene quite nicely”.
Previously outlining the State case against Mr Culligan, Sgt John Burke stated that a blockade was mounted against a rumoured centre for asylum seekers and Mr Culligan was one of those protesting
Sgt Burke said that the alleged injured party, Mr Neylon, engaged with people in the blockade at the location “and there were verbals back and forth”.
Sgt Burke said that during the course of this, Mr Neylon was allegedly assaulted by Mr Culligan, who turns twenty this month.
Mr Neylon suffered a facial injury as a result of the alleged assault.
Sgt Burke stated that the blockade was mounted over false reports and there were no plans to establish accommodation for asylum seekers at that location.
The protest in Scool, Corofin, Co Clare took place after it was organised via social media, in response to, as it turned out, false claims asylum seekers were going to be housed in the area.
These came about after a video was circulated online in which men toured a house containing multiple beds in each bedroom, claiming that it was going to house asylum seekers in the locality.
At the time, the Minister for Integration, Roderic O’Gorman (GP) ruled out the use of the Scool property for asylum seekers.
On RTÉ Radio One, Minister O’Gorman said at the time there had been “detailed misinformation” about the property being put into use.
He said, “This is entirely as the result of misinformation that’s been circulated on social media – detailed misinformation, setting out indicative numbers, indicative genders”.
He added, “We are not using the site that has been identified in Corofin. It’s never been offered to us and I suppose I can’t be clearer than that”.
Judge Gabbett adjourned the case to March 26th for sentencing.
