By Gordon Deegan
A brother and sister threw up to 32 eggs at their aunt during a five minute long assault in Co. Galway two years ago, a court has heard.
At Gort District Court, Mary Fahy said that her face got ‘banged’ and ‘bashed’ with eggs thrown by Cathal Connors (25) and Michelle Connors (20), both of Fannaun, Peterswell, Galway while she was driving past around 6:30p.m on October 17 2019.
“It was bang, bang, bang, bang. I thought they were stones and they continued for five minutes or thereabouts banging eggs off my face,” Fahy told the court.
She said that her niece and nephew threw “a dozen and a score of eggs” at her.
Assaulted with Eggs
Fahy outlined to the court that she saw Michelle and Cathal Connors “running out from the front door – they obviously had it set up”.
Cathal and Michelle Connors each denied a count of assault on Mary Fahy and causing criminal damage to her Ford Kuga at Faunaun, Peterswell but Judge Mary Larkin found them guilty on all counts.
Judge Larkin said that the two “deliberately assaulted this woman” with eggs.
The judge said that the court 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”.
The victim said that she still has a mark on her face from the assault but that it wasn’t visible in court as she was wearing make-up.
Fahy stated that she was driving her car past her brother, Patrick Connors’ home after getting shopping in Gort when Connors’ two children carried out their egg assault.
The victim explained that she got ‘banged’ with eggs in the face as she slowed down as she had her car window down.
She agreed with solicitor for Cathal and Michelle Connors, John Nash, that there have been difficulties between her brother, Patrick Connors and a sister concerning farm land.
Fahy explained that she saw Patrick Connors in his jeep outside his house before the assault and saw Cathal get into the vehicle when the incident finished, before it was driven away.
“The family wasn’t getting on with me over my sister, but I didn’t expect them to do something to me,” she said.
As a result of the assault, Fahy said her blood pressure “was through the roof” and she had to take three days off work. The cleaning bill for the egg damage to the car was €120.
Mary 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.
“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,” he added.
Garda Evidence
Sgt. John Cunningham told the court that when he arrived Mrs Fahy “was in a very distressed state”.
Sgt. Cunningham said that Michelle Connors “denied that anything had taken place and knew nothing about the incident”. In evidence in court, she also denied any role in the egg assault.
Asked why she didn’t go out to help her aunt by Judge Larkin, Michelle Connors replied: “I have never spoken to the woman.”
Cathal Connors denied being at home during the egg assault and having any role in it and said that he was at the local mart at the time and had cattle receipts to show that.
Both defendants told the court that they had seen “young lads on bikes” in the area that day and they may have been responsible for the egg assault.
Judge Larkin dismissed this as “inconceivable” and adjourned sentencing to May.