A Co Clare man told an 11-year old girl “to f*ck off” before assaulting her father in a ‘road-rage’ incident outside the village of Clarecastle last year, a court has heard.
At Ennis District Court, Judge Adrian Harris has found Francis Healy (57) of Turnpike Rd, Ennis guilty of the assault causing harm of Eamon O’Callaghan at around 3.30pm on February 6th 2025 at Kildysart Road near the village of Clarecastle, Co Clare contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the State Act.
In evidence, Mr O’Callaghan said during the heated roadside confrontation Mr Healy “called me a fat c*nt and I called him a scruffy fool and so on and so forth”.
Mr O’Callaghan’s 11-year old daughter was a passenger in his Renault Megane and got out of the car at the scene and Mr O’Callaghan told the court that Mr Healy pointed to her and told her ‘to shut her f**kin mouth”.
Mr O’Callaghan told the court that he was defending himself and his daughter “against this lunatic”.
Mr O’Callaghan said this in reply to Mr Healy’s solicitor, Daragh Hassett who contended that that his client acted in self-defence and gave Mr O’Callaghan “a couple of slaps on the back which you thoroughly deserved”.
Mr Healy admitted to following Mr O’Callaghan’s Mitsubishi jeep down the Kildysart Rd after Mr Healy felt that Mr O’Callaghan had boxed him in while going around the ‘Maxol’ or Clareabbey roundabout between Ennis and Clarecastle.
Passing motorists took videos of the assault by Mr Healy on Mr O’Callaghan and the short videos were played to the court where Mr Healy was contesting the assault charge.
Garda Brendan O’Reilly said that the footage shown to court shows Mr Healy giving Mr O’Callaghan three or four punches in quick succession while Mr O’Callaghan is on the ground.
Mr O’Callaghan told the court “as I hit the ground my daughter was screaming for him to stop and he did not stop. I thought he was going to kill me to be honest”.
Mr O’Callaghan said that arising from Mr Healy’s assault he sustained a laceration over one eye, scrape marks on his neck, a black eye and there was a mark over his other eye.
Mr O’Callaghan confirmed to the court that he recently pleaded guilty in court to a public order charge arising from the incident and was fined.
In evidence, Garda O’Reilly said the incident would not have happened if Francis Healy had driven straight home after exiting the roundabout and he instead followed Mr O’Callaghan’s jeep.
Garda O’Reilly said that this was “a road rage incident that turned into an assault”.
Garda O’Reilly rejected solicitor, Daragh Hassett’s argument that Mr Healy’s response was reasonable and proportionate to the perceived threat posed by Mr O’Callaghan.
Mr Healy alleged that Mr O’Callaghan had bitten him during their confrontation.
Garda O’Reilly said: “Mr Healy raining down three or four punches on someone while they are on the ground is not reasonable or proportionate in any way in my opinion.”
Mr Hassett said Mr Healy and Mr O’Callaghan “were two men behaving like children on the road and both giving as good as they got and Mr O’Callaghan’s daughter was there seeing this disgraceful behaviour”.
In his Garda interview, Mr Healy said that he followed Mr O’Callaghan’s jeep out of the roundabout “because he nearly caused a crash”.
He said after “we shouted at each other through windows – he then pulled forward and he hopped out and I hopped out”
Mr Healy said: “I asked “what the hell were you doing at the roundabout?” and he said “f*ck off. I travel this road every day and I was in the right lane”.
Mr Healy said that Mr O’Callaghan’s daughter was saying ‘Daddy, don’t, Daddy don’t’ “and I told her to get the fuck out of there, I thought she was going to get hurt.”
He said: “After I told her to fuck off he grabbed me by the scruff of my neck with both hands and pushed me back onto my car which was a good eight of nine feet away and pinned me to the bonnet.”
“He latched on to my left thumb. I was worried he would bite my face and I made up my mind that he wouldn’t so I put him down.”
Mr Healy said that he was not the aggressor. In evidence in court, Mr Healy said that he told the 11 year old girl “to feck off or f*ck off’.
Judge Harris adjourned Mr Healy’s sentencing to July 8th for a victim impact statement from Mr O’Callaghan and Mr O’Callaghan told the court “my daughter would like to make one as well”.
