A Roscommon county councillor was ordered by a District Court judge to pay £500 compensation to the former Justice Minister, Mr Sean Doherty TD, after the judge heard evidence of how the defendant had trespassed in a house, shouted abuse at the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, Senator Brian Mullooly, and assaulted Mr Doherty.
Judge Willian Earley, in Roosky District Court, also imposed a sentence of two weeks' imprisonment on the defendant, Mr Tom Crosby, of Termonbarry, suspending the sentence for three years. Mr Crosby denied the charges.
However, Judge Earley told the court: "I've no doubt that the assault occurred and Tom Crosby jumped up and lunged at Sean Doherty in Fergal McGuinness's house. This was an outrageous assault, exacerbated by the equally outrageous trespass," he concluded.
The court heard that on January 23rd a private meeting was taking place in the home of Mr Fergal McGuinness, a local shopkeeper and former Dail candidate (Ind).
The defence solicitor, Mr Leo Brannigan, said Mr Crosby was very active in the community, was a founding member of the Development Association in Termonbarry, and felt strongly about any aspect of development.
"He may have misinterpreted the signal," Mr Brannigan told the court, referring to Mr Crosby's reaction to learning that a crucial meeting was taking place behind his back, "and he certainly overreacted".
"Mr Crosby, if he wants to be a leader, has to show leadership," the judge said, adding that "using gratuitous violence is not leadership".
Mr Doherty told the court that he avoided the first alleged blow, "but I got hit with the second one. It was very frenzied, he was very violent. It was impossible to understand what he was saying," the former Minister recalled, adding that he had a bump on his head following the incident, which he mentioned to his doctor but which did not require treatment.
Mr McGuinness told the court that in order to further his personal plans for business expansion, he had been lobbying Mr Doherty.
"He (Mr Doherty) agreed to come to my house and talk to me about it and asked me could I bring a number of concerned persons there," Mr McGuinness said, adding that the former Minister had also stipulated that Mr Crosby not be invited.
It emerged on a number of occasions during the hour-long court hearing that, for years, there had been tensions between the two elected representatives, both members of Fianna Fail.
Mr Doherty and Senator Mullooly came to the meeting, and they and the invited participants discussed the provision of water and sewerage services in the village, and the Rural Renewal Scheme.
While Mrs Catherine McGuinness was making tea and sandwiches following the meeting, the doorbell rang and Mr McGuinness answered it. It was Mr Crosby.
He asked if there were a meeting going on here, Mr McGuinness recalled, "and I said yes. He said he wanted to go in and I told him, `Sorry, it's a private meeting.'
"He said, `I want to know what's going on in my village, and barged past me, into my house and down the hall," the local shopkeeper said, "and went into the kitchen, where he started abusing people."
At the receiving end of the first alleged tirade of abuse was Senator Mullooly, who was sitting in an armchair in the McGuinness's kitchen.
"He abused Mr Mullooly quite severely," Mr McGuinness recalled, "and used worlds like `bastard' and `fucker'. At this point, Sean Doherty stood up and said, `I'm leaving'."
The witness said: "Tom Crosby then jumped up and lunged at him (Mr Doherty), hit him in the back with his right forearm and struck him with his left fist in the back of the head."
When Mr Crosby went for his party and constituency colleague, Mr Doherty, Senator Mullooly recalled saying to Mr Doherty, "Get out of here, quick!"
Mr Crosby was the last to give evidence, and recalled that, on the night in question, he was telephoned by his wife while on his way to a business meeting.
"She said come back home, that there was a meeting of the development association, and that it was being held in such a manner that I would be excluded."
Mr Crosby recalled how when he arrived back at Termonbarry he literally searched the villages, public houses, aided by a member of his own bar staff, for the meeting, to no avail.
"I knew there was something going on because I saw Sean Doherty's car and Brian Mullooly's chauffeur-driven car, with the chauffeur in it," Mr Crosby recalled. He then went to Fergal McGuinness's house.
"It was made quite clear that I was not welcome. I said that if it was a development meeting, I felt I should attend," he recalled, stressing that he never barged past Mr McGuinness, but felt he was being allowed in.
"When I went in, I saw all the officers of my development association who I had worked alongside for so many years to develop our village. I told them I was disappointed that the meeting was being held behind my back."