Courts

Men who claimed Collopy brothers rammed their sulky four years ago now say they identified ‘wrong men’

Darren and Jamie Wallace previously claimed they were rammed and beaten by Vincent and Jonathan Collopy in Limerick

Jamie Wallace, left, says he couldn't recall the alleged attack, while his uncle Darren (middle), accompanied by his father, Jimmy, said he had identified wrong men. Photograph: Brendan Gleeson

David Raleigh
Wed Jan 31 2024 - 17:35

A man who identified to Gardaí a group of men allegedly involved in ramming him off a road four years ago while he was driving a horse-drawn sulky and then beating him with implements told the court on Wednesday he had identified “the wrong men”.

The man’s nephew, who it is alleged was also assaulted by one of the accused, told the court he could not remember the alleged attack. The man could also not remember his own date of birth when asked to give it in court.

Darren Wallace (37), of Kishyquirk, Ballysimon, Co Limerick, giving evidence in the trial of two Limerick brothers, Vincent Collopy and Jonathan Collopy, told the Circuit Criminal Court in Limerick that he had made a statement during a video-recorded interview with Gardaí the day after the alleged incident, in which he identified one of the accused, Vincent Collopy, as the driver of a Audi Q7 jeep that rammed him off the road as he steered a sulky.

Mr Wallace agreed with prosecution counsel, John O’Sullivan, that he told Gardaí that the other accused, Jonathan Collopy, along with a third man who is not before the court, got out of the jeep and beat him with a stick and a hurley.

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However, Mr Wallace told the court he had mistakenly identified the two accused and the third man and that he “can’t remember” the events now.

“I can’t remember what I done three days ago, never mind four years ago ... I received a head injury and I was on a heavy dose of medication, so I wasn’t in my right mind ... It was all a mistake,” Mr Wallace told Mr O’Sullivan.

Det Garda Niall Fitzgerald, Roxboro Road Garda station, who took the statement from Mr Wallace, told the trial that, in his opinion, Darren Wallace was in “good health” and “extremely sharp” when he gave him his statement.

A DVD recording of Det Garda Fitzgerald reading back Mr Wallace’s statement to him at Roxboro Road Garda station on April 8th, 2020, was played to the jury in which Darren Wallace alleged that, after Vincent Collopy, “rammed” him off the road, Jonathan Collopy and the third man got out of the jeep and “started flogging the s**t out of me”.

“I must have been hit over 20 times,” Mr Wallace told Gardaí.

Mr Wallace further alleged in his statement that after Jonathan Collopy and the other man got back in the jeep, Jonathan Collopy stuck his head out of the window and pointed his finger at Mr Wallace, shouting at him ‘you’re dead, you’re dead’”.

Mr Wallace also told Gardaí that, at the time, he had known the two accused Collopy brothers and the third man for over 10 years.

Under cross examination from Jonathan Collopy’s barrister, Mr Wallace reiterated he had been mistaken about who had attacked him.

He agreed with the barrister that “Jonathan Collopy played no hand, act, or part” in assaulting him.

Darren Wallace’s nephew, Jamie Wallace, who the State claims was a witness to the events and was allegedly assaulted by Vincent Collopy, told the court that he couldn’t remember anything of the alleged attack.

Jamie Wallace told the court he could not remember making a statement to Garda the following day.

When asked by Mr O’Sullivan what his date of birth was, Jamie Wallace replied: “I can’t remember my date of birth.”

The State has alleged that Vincent Collopy (44), with an address at St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick, drove a jeep into Mr Wallace’s sulky cart, ramming it off the road, and that Vincent Collopy assaulted Mr Wallace causing him harm.

He is also accused of assaulting Jamie Wallace at the scene.

Vincent Collopy pleaded not guilty to all four charges against him, including one count of endangerment, one of dangerous driving, one of assault causing harm and one of assault.

His brother, Jonathan Collopy (37), with an address at St Senan’s Street, St Mary’s Park denied both charges against him, including one count of assaulting Darren Wallace causing him harm, and one of producing an offensive weapon, namely a stick.

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