By Gordon Deegan
A brother and sister who waged a five-minute long, 32-egg “assault” on their aunt have been convicted and fined by a judge.
Cathal Connors (26) and Michelle Connors (21) both of Fannaun, Peterswell were convicted and fined by Judge Mary Larkin at Gort District Court of the “egg assault” on their aunt, Mary Fahy.
Judge Larkin fined each €500 for the assault on Mary Fahy and a further additional €500 each for criminal damage to Mary Fahy’s car, a Ford Kuga.
Judge Larkin said the brother and sister, who threw the eggs outside their home on the evening of October 17, 2019, had shown “no remorse” and “no apology” for their actions.
Egg assault
The judge outlined that the court had heard there was a history of family discord and said that “these two young people got involved in whatever familial dispute that has been going on over land”.
In her evidence to the court, Mary Fahy, who lives 2.5km from where the brother and sister reside, 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”.
Fahy said that she had been driving her Ford Kuga car past the house where her brother, Patrick Connors and his family live, when his two children, Cathal Connors and Michelle Connors carried out the egg assault.
Banged with eggs
Fahy had also told the court that she got “banged” with eggs in the face, as she slowed down, because her car window had been three quarters down.
She said her face got “banged” and “bashed” with the eggs, adding:
“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.”
Fahy told the court that her niece and nephew threw “a dozen and a score of eggs” at her.
She also said she was not able to continue driving because she was in shock.
She added: “I got such a fright, my head just went. I am passing there 38 years and I never saw that before.”
She said following the egg attack her “blood pressure was through the roof and I had to get three days off work”.
Her son, James, was the first on the scene after the incident 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 also added: “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.”
John Nash, the solicitor representing Cathal Connors and Michelle Connors, said there had been difficulties in the family, including between Fahy’s brother, Patrick Connors and a sister, in relation to a farm of land.
Fahy agreed with the solicitor about the difficulties and said “he tried to take over her farm…he is the one man causing all the problems”.
At the end of a contested hearing in the case in January of last year, Judge Larkin said that the two siblings “deliberately assaulted this woman” with eggs.
At Gort District Court on Thursday (January 26) Judge Mary Larkin convicted and fined the brother and sister, Cathal and Michelle Connors.
Judge Larkin said she had read both 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.
“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.
“They are young people and shouldn’t be going forward in this manner,” Judge Larkin added.