A YOUNG man who punctured a park ranger’s bicycle with a knife has been described as “a bully” by Judge Patrick McCartan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Judge McCartan said Anthony Fitzgerald (23), a professional boxer, had wasted “people’s time, resources and patience” by his initial plea of not guilty. “Here is a man who is a trained fighter who can’t control his temper.”
The judge ordered Fitzgerald to pay €1,000 to the park ranger and a further €2,000 to a young couple involved in the case.
“I’m taking the opportunity to hit you in the pocket to teach you a lesson,” Judge McCartan told him.
Fitzgerald, a father of one, Gloucester Place, Dublin, pleaded guilty to puncturing a park ranger’s bicycle wheel with a “dirk knife” during an altercation with a young couple at Albert College Park, Glasnevin, in July 2006.
Det Garda Paul Fahey told Ronan Kennedy, prosecuting, that the couple were sitting on a bench watching a football match when the ball was kicked out of play on to a nearby patch of grass.
He said Edward Bennett described Fitzgerald as “throwing shapes” when he approached him and his girlfriend after they ignored his demands to “kick the f**king football over”.
Det Garda Fahey said the two men had a heated verbal exchange that ended with Fitzgerald shouting threats before running off towards the car park. Mr Bennett and his girlfriend alerted a park ranger who escorted them to the park entrance on his bike.
Det Garda Fahey said Fitzgerald returned and swung a blade at Mr Bennett and the park ranger, narrowly missing contact with their bodies. Mr Bennett’s girlfriend told gardaí she was “frozen in fear” as Fitzgerald lashed out at the two men and all parties ran off in different directions.
Det Garda Fahey said gardaí arrested Fitzgerald when they tracked down his car on Gardiner Street on foot of registration details given to them by a passerby who had seen him fleeing from the park. Kevin Byrne, defending, said the incident happened shortly after his client lost his brother in tragic circumstances and subsequently fell into drink and drugs.