A trade union representative won €1,000 damages for false imprisonment against a Dublin Bus manager who locked him in his office.
David McMorrow, of Ballygoran View, Celbridge, Co Kildare, told the Circuit Civil Court yesterday that colleagues had asked him to speak to administrator Martin Connolly about car parking at Conyngham Road bus depot.
He said Mr Connolly, of Hillcrest Heights, Lucan, Co Dublin, became aggressive, stood up behind his desk and pushed his face into his. He thought he was going to hit him.
He said Mr Connolly did not want to listen to anything he had to say, and locked the office door. He felt imprisoned and had not thought of using a second door out of Mr Connolly's office.
Mr Connolly said Mr McMorrow had refused to leave his office without first getting a commitment, which he refused to give. "Initially both of us were polite but it developed into a shouting match....But I did not stick my face close up to his."
Judge Alison Lindsay said if there had been a proper system in Dublin Bus for dealing with disputes she did not think either party would be in court.