11-07-2025
Limerick shop manager punched and bitten by woman 'under the influence'
A Limerick shop manager had to be taken to hospital after a woman 'under the influence' bit him and punched him several times.
The manager of Gleeson's Spar shop on Catherine Street in the city centre, Seaghan Gleeson, was assaulted during a 'public order incident', which occurred on July 9 at approximately 4pm.
Gardaí attended the scene and a spokesperson said the woman, aged in her 40s, was arrested and conveyed to a Garda station in Limerick city.
She has since been released without charge and investigations are ongoing.
Mr Gleeson, who was brought to University Hospital Limerick by an ambulance, told the Irish Examiner the incident was 'traumatic'.
' She had taken a bottle of Coke and put it in her pants. I confronted her and asked her to take it out and then leave. She refused to give it to me and eventually, opened it and began to pour it on the ground,' he recalled.
Mr Gleeson told his employees to call the gardaí and not to get involved, as he tried to keep the woman away from everyone else. At that point, the shop's doors were closed, with customers and staff watching the incident unfold.
Mr Gleeson said the woman bit him about four times, before claiming she was HIV positive. He said the woman also spat at him.
Despite anti-social incidents occurring often in the shop, he said this one was 'on a whole different level'.
'It's pretty traumatic. I asked my staff to stay away and to ring the gardaí. I tried to deal with it myself because it's just very hard to keep staff. Most of my staff are very good, so it's just important that I try and deal with it myself, and show that I am willing to be the person to deal with it,' he added.
Video of the incident at the store in Limerick.
Mr Gleeson was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, where he said he was advised to get tested for HIV. He is waiting for the results to come back.
Mr Gleeson, who got engaged last weekend, said the ordeal 'put a bit of a downer on the move'.
His father and the shop's owner, Shane Gleeson, said the woman was barred from the shop for anti-social behaviour.
'She has been intimidating and bullying us for some time," Shane said. "She's not allowed in because of her behaviour."
He said the woman bit his son on the face and punched him 20 times in the space of one minute. "I just stopped counting at 20."
The video, sent to the Irish Examiner, shows the woman trying to take items as Mr Gleeson tries to stop her. The footage shows her being verbally abusive towards Mr Gleeson.
