ONE OF two men at the centre of a bloody fight in the toilet at Lucan Golf Club, told a court yesterday he had punched fellow member Alan Holmes in the face, but only in self-defence.
Martin Curtis, Brooklodge, Curryhills, Prosperous, Co Kildare, has been sued for assault by Mr Holmes who claims Mr Curtis, without warning or provocation, head-butted him in the face in the club toilets in January, 2003.
Mr Holmes, Rathdown Drive, Terenure, Dublin, has in turn been sued for assault by Mr Curtis who claims Mr Holmes punched him in the forehead before kicking and punching him a second time as club members tried to separate them.
Both golfers are each suing the other in the Circuit Civil Court for €38,000 damages.
Judge Joseph Mathews has heard the row broke out following a verbal exchange between the men over a €100 bet Mr Curtis offered Mr Holmes on a televised Man United – Burnley match and which Mr Holmes dismissed with the words “f**k off.” Mr Curtis told his barrister Conor Bowman that Mr Holmes had called to him that he was “only a f**king mouth” and he did not think it appropriate someone should be speaking in that kind of manner.
He had decided to go over and speak to Mr Holmes and had done so, discreetly whispering in his ear that he thought the remark inappropriate and if it did not stop he would have to take further action.
He had never issued any threat and had not told Mr Holmes he would “do you outside” and told Judge Mathews his remark about taking further action related to the fact that the club committee was meeting that night.
Later he had gone to the toilet where Mr Holmes had confronted him by pushing his chest into him. Mr Holmes had punched him with his right hand and he had responded in self-defence.
“I punched him in the face. We immediately came together and grabbed each other,” he said.
Another member, Paddy Carroll, had tried to separate them and Mr Holmes had again punched him and kicked him.
Mr Curtis told barrister Louis McEntagart, for Mr Holmes, he did not know at what point Mr Holmes had started to bleed. When jostling with each other they had changed position a number of times and this may have caused the blood to spatter around the toilet.
Mr Curtis’s younger brother, Joe, told the court that fellow club member Tom Goff had told him he attended a meeting in the Lucan Spa Hotel at which Mr Holmes and other witnesses had decided to agree what they would say about the incident. Mr Holmes, Mr Goff and other members who allegedly attended the meeting have all denied it ever took place.