Latest news with #Sixmilebridge
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Father of boy allegedly assaulted by Niall Gilligan phoned him to say 'you viciously attacked my son'
The father of the 12-year old boy allegedly assaulted with a stick by former All-Star and Clare All-Ireland winning hurler, Niall Gilligan phoned him from an A&E to say 'you just viciously attacked my son', a court has heard. On the fourth day of the trial at Ennis Circuit Court, the boy's father gave evidence of a phone call he made to the accused as his son was being treated for his injuries by medics on the evening of October 5th, 2023. Advertisement The father told the jury on Friday that he got Niall Gilligan's phone number on the evening of October 5th after his son had told him what had occurred earlier where Mr Gilligan is accused of assaulting the boy with a stick. Mr Gilligan (48) of Rossroe, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, denies the charge of assault causing harm with a stick at the Jamaica Inn hostel, Sixmilebridge on October 5th 2023. In evidence, the father said that he phoned Mr Gilligan and said: 'I said I am currently in A&E with my son who you just viciously attacked.' The father said that Mr Gilligan did not respond to the allegation. Advertisement The father said that he first brought his son to a VHI clinic at Raheen, Limerick. He said: 'Once they (medical staff) started cutting his clothes off him they were finding more and more injuries.' He said: 'They found he had soiled himself which led them to believe that he was unconscious at some stage.' He said that medics at the VHI Clinic made the decision that the boy should be transferred by ambulance to the A&E at University Hospital Limerick (UHL). Advertisement The boy's father said that he did not believe his son's initial story that he had fallen off his bike. He said: 'I definitely didn't think that he fell off a bike. He was covered head to toe in muck.' He said that his son had his jacket pulled down over a cut on his arm 'and I could see blood coming from the cut'. The father said that his son 'had a swollen hand and he was limping. He was talking quite fast as well and he was pale so I imagine adrenaline and shock." He said that once they got to the VHI clinic, his son told him what had happened earlier. The trial continues before a jury of seven men and five women.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Niall Gilligan case: Trial hears boy's father called alleged attacker from hospital
The father of the boy (12) allegedly assaulted with a stick by former All-Star and Clare All-Ireland winning hurler Niall Gilligan phoned him from hospital to say 'you just viciously attacked my son', a court has heard. On the fourth day of the trial at Ennis Circuit Court, the boy's father gave evidence of a phone call he made to the accused as his son was being treated for his injuries by medics on the evening of October 5th, 2023. The father told the jury on Friday that he got Mr Gilligan's phone number after his son told him what had occurred earlier in the day where Mr Gilligan is accused of assaulting the boy with a stick. Mr Gilligan (48) of Rossroe, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, denies the charge of assault causing harm with a stick at the Jamaica Inn hostel, Sixmilebridge in 2023. READ MORE In evidence, the father said he phoned Mr Gilligan and said: ' I am currently in A & E with my son who you just viciously attacked.' The father said Mr Gilligan did not respond to the allegation. He said he first brought his son to a VHI clinic in Limerick. 'Once they (medical staff) started cutting his clothes off him they were finding more and more injuries,' he said. 'They found he had soiled himself which led them to believe that he was unconscious at some stage.' He said medics at the clinic made the decision that the boy should be transferred by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick (UHL). The boy's father said he did not believe his son's initial story that he had fallen off his bicycle. 'I definitely didn't think that he fell off a bike. He was covered head to toe in muck.' He said his son had his jacket pulled down over a cut on his arm 'and I could see blood coming from the cut'. The father said his son 'had a swollen hand and he was limping. He was talking quite fast as well and he was pale so I imagine adrenaline and shock.' He said that once they got to the clinic, his son told him what had happened earlier. The trial continues before a jury of seven men and five women.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Teenager says he did not see former Clare hurler Niall Gilligan hit his 12-year-old friend with a stick, court hears
A teenager told a court on Thursday all he could hear was the sound of wood smacking off his then 12-year-old friend after he saw former All-Star and Clare All-Ireland winning hurler Niall Gilligan go to hit him. At Ennis Circuit Court, the teenager said a 'horrible thing happened to my friend' when recalling the alleged assault of his then 12-year-old friend on October 5th, 2023, at the Jamaica Inn hostel in Sixmilebridge. Mr Gilligan (48) of Rossroe, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, denies the assault causing harm with a stick of the boy. The two boys had been exploring the abandoned Jamaica Inn hostel after 5pm on the day in question. READ MORE Mr Gilligan owned the hostel at the time and the jury has been told, in the days leading up to October 5th, it had been broken into and vandalised. Under cross examination via video link from a room at Ennis courthouse, the now teenager acknowledged in his interview with gardaí in November 2023 he said he saw Mr Gilligan hit his friend. On Thursday afternoon, the teenager said he did not see Mr Gilligan hit the other boy. He said: 'I saw him go to hit him, I mis-phrased that. All I could hear was the sound of wood smacking off my friend.' The teenager said his friend was 'tiny' at the time of the incident. The witness told counsel for Mr Gilligan, Patrick Whyms BL (instructed by solicitor, Daragh Hassett), when his friend slipped as they were running away from Mr Gilligan, 'I saw Niall coming at him with the stick about to swing at him'. He said: 'We were both running away and he attacked my friend when we were both running in the opposite direction to him.' The teenager disagreed with Mr Gilligan's version of events in which he said the altercation with his friend took place inside the building. Asked how he felt by the specialist Garda interviewer in his November 2023 video evidence, the boy said 'terrified', and added 'but I just got out of there as fast as I could, all I could think was 'get out of there' and I did'. Referring to his friend's screaming, the boy said: 'I heard him shouting, like I heard him screaming like telling him to stop. My friend telling him to f**k off and to leave him alone, that was about it.' The witness hid in a nearby industrial estate and he said that felt relatively safe 'but I was still very scared that somehow he could have seen me'. A short time later, the boy said he saw his friend come around the corner 'and he was limping like he was holding his arm, holding his hand, holding the wrist he broke and it was all swelling up'. The jury also heard from witness for the State, Linda Quinn, from Sixmilebridge, who runs the local GAA club shop. She said on her way into the club on the evening of October 5th, she noticed a child near the gate and something did not look right. She said the boy asked her if she thought his hand was broken. 'It was very swollen.' He then showed her a 'big gash' on his leg and asked her opinion. When Ms Quinn asked him what happened, he told her he had fallen off his bike. There was another deep gash on his arm. Ms Quinn told him he might need to get stitches. At this, the child got upset and Ms Quinn offered to give him a lift home. Shortly afterwards, they arrived at his house, and after speaking to the boy's aunt, Ms. Quinn returned to work. The trial continues on Friday before a jury of seven men and five women.
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Boy told gardaí he could see his friend (12) screaming as Niall Gilligan hit him with a stick, court hears
A boy told gardaí that he could hear his 12-year-old friend screaming as former All-Star and Clare All-Ireland winning hurler, Niall Gilligan, hit him with a stick. In a videoed interview with specialist gardaí played to the jury on Thursday at Ennis Circuit Court, the boy said that his friend "got attacked by a man" who had 'a smooth, wooden stick kind of a thing and he just started hitting him with it". Advertisement The boy said his father later showed him a photo of Niall Gilligan, and the boy confirmed that the man who attacked his friend was the accused. Mr Gilligan (48) of Rossroe, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, denies the assault causing harm with a stick of the boy at the Jamaica Inn hostel, Sixmilebridge on October 5th, 2023. The two 12-year-olds had been exploring an abandoned Jamaica Inn hostel after 5pm on October 5th. Mr Gilligan owned the Jamaica Inn hostel at the time, and the jury has been told that in the days leading up to October 5th, it had been broken into and vandalised. Advertisement In the video interview carried out on November 11th 2023, the 12-year-old witness said that as the two boys left the building and came around a corner, they saw 'a tall, kind of strong-looking' man holding a stick, and they both ran. He said that his friend, also 12 years old at the time, slipped, 'and he just started attacking him with the bat'. The boy said: 'I thought he was getting back up, but then I just heard the screams out of him, getting attacked by the man and a bat hitting off of him, and then I ran around the corner into this industrial estate and I hid'. Asked how he felt by the specialist Garda interviewer, the boy said 'terrified' and added 'but I just got out of there as fast as I could, all I could think was 'get out of there' and I did'. Advertisement The boy described the man as 'fit looking, like, gingerly brown kinda hair'. He said: 'I seen him playing hurling with I was younger and he played for the Bridge and Clare.' The boy told gardaí that Mr Gilligan is an auctioneer in Sixmilebridge. Asked about his friend's screaming, the boy said: 'I heard him shouting, like I heard him screaming like telling him to stop. My friend telling him to fuck off and to leave him alone, that was about it'. Advertisement The boy hid in a nearby industrial estate, and he said that he felt relatively safe, 'but I was still very scared that somehow he could have seen me'. A short time later, the boy said that he saw his friend come around the corner, 'and he was limping like he was holding his arm, holding his hand, holding the wrist he broke, and it was all swelling up'. The boy said that his friend was 'looking in pain, he had lots of mud all over him'. The boy told Gardai that his friend 'was very shaky, obviously he felt very, very scared and in a lot of pain'. Advertisement He said: 'I was just supporting him to walk up, just like holding him up… I put my arm around his back so I could support him so he could have one of his legs off the ground so it would be easier for him to walk." The boy said that his friend "said 'it just hurts everywhere' is all he said'. The boy said that his friend told him, 'Go home because if he sees you, he is going to get you as well'. The cross-examination of the boy on his direct video evidence is taking place this afternoon before a jury of seven men and five women continues.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Boy could hear friend screaming as former Clare hurler Niall Gilligan hit him with a stick, court hears
A boy told gardaí that he could hear his 12-year old friend screaming as former All-Star and Clare All-Ireland winning hurler Niall Gilligan hit him with a stick. In a videoed interview with specialist gardaí played to the jury on Thursday at Ennis Circuit Court, the boy said that his friend 'got attacked by a man' who had 'a smooth, wooden stick kind of a thing and he just started hitting him with it'. The boy said his father later showed him a photo of Mr Gilligan and the boy confirmed that the man who attacked his friend was the accused. Mr Gilligan (48) of Rossroe, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, denies the assault causing harm with a stick of the boy at the Jamaica Inn hostel, Sixmilebridge on October 5th, 2023. READ MORE The two 12-year-olds had been exploring the abandoned hostel after 5pm on October 5th. Mr Gilligan owned the Jamaica Inn hostel at the time and the jury has been told that in the days leading up to October 5th, it had been broken into and vandalised. In the video interview carried out on November 11th, 2023, the witness said as the two boys left the building and came around a corner, they saw 'a tall, kind of strong-looking' man holding a stick and they both ran. He said that his friend – also 12 years old at the time – slipped 'and he just started attacking him with the bat'. The boy said: 'I thought he was getting back up but then I just heard the screams out of him, getting attacked by the man and a bat hitting off of him and then I ran around the corner into this industrial estate and I hid'. Asked how he felt by the specialist Garda interviewer, the boy said 'terrified', and added 'but I just got out of there as fast as I could, all I could think was 'get out of there' and I did'. The boy described the man as 'fit-looking like, gingery brown kinda hair'. He said: 'I seen him playing hurling with I was younger and he played for the Bridge and Clare.' The boy told gardaí Mr Gilligan is an auctioneer in Sixmilebridge. Asked about his friend's screaming, the boy said: 'I heard him shouting, like I heard him screaming, like, telling him to stop. My friend telling him to f**k off and to leave him alone, that was about it'. The boy hid in a nearby industrial estate and he said that felt relatively safe 'but I was still very scared that somehow he could have seen me'. A short time later, the boy said that he saw his friend come around the corner 'and he was limping like he was holding his arm, holding his hand, holding the wrist he broke and it was all swelling up'. The boy said that his friend was 'looking in pain, he had lots of mud all over him'. The boy told gardaí that his friend 'was very shaky, obviously he felt very, very scared and in a lot of pain'. He said: 'I was just supporting him to walk up, just like holding him up ... I put my arm around his back so I could support him so he could have one of his legs off the ground so it would be easier for him to walk.' The boy said that his friend 'said 'it just hurts everywhere' is all he said. The boy said that his friend told him 'go home because if he sees you, he is going to get you as well'. The cross examination of the boy on his direct video evidence is taking place on Thursday afternoon before a jury of seven men and five women.
