Five men, two carrying guns and wearing balaclavas, who terrorised a Traveller mother and her eight children living in two caravans on the side of a country road late at night, have been given suspended sentences at Galway Circuit Criminal Court.
Imposing two-year sentences on each of the five men, which she suspended for five years, Judge Yvonne Murphy said all had engaged in a very cowardly act by threatening the mother and her eight children in the dead of night.
Francis Moran (35), Cloonkeen, Abbert, Tuam; Alan Roche (25), Moyne, Barnaderg, Tuam; Seán Donnellan (36), Knock, Barnaderg, Tuam; Michael Donnellan (26), Peak, Barnaderg, and Denis Byrne (34), Coolourty, Tuam, all pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court to violent disorder at Abbert, Abbeyknockmoy, on February 10th, 2005, in that each of them threatened to use violence against Ann Ward and her eight children, putting them in fear.
Det Garda Mick Reddy told the court that Mrs Ward and her children, aged from 17 to three years old, were in bed when the front doors of the caravans were pushed in. Mrs Ward saw a man wearing a balaclava and carrying a shotgun standing outside.
The men issued her with an ultimatum to leave the area within two days.
Det Garda Reddy said the mother was so intimidated she and her children moved the next day to the Menlough, east Galway.
A Garda investigation ensued and the home of Moran was searched. A gun, ammunition and balaclavas were found.
Moran readily admitted he and four friends had gone to the caravans and he had been carrying a shotgun.
He told gardaí he had feared for his pregnant wife's safety at the time, while he also had concerns for the safety of his elderly parents who lived nearby.
Roche also admitted carrying a .22 rifle on the same occasion.
Det Garda Reddy said all five were of previous good character and were not likely to reoffend.They were all deeply remorseful for what they had done and it had never occurred to them they would end up before the court.
Mrs Ward, the court was told, had been living in the area for just four days before the incident and had subsequently accepted €10,000 in compensation from all of the accused.
When first interviewed the following day, Mrs Ward and her children were crying and were very upset, the detective said.
Submissions were made to the court by defence counsel for all five accused that this had been a spur of the moment decision and that the other four had gone along to support Mr Moran, but Judge Murphy rejected this.
She said that since Det Reddy had said the accused were all of good character, had paid compensation and were unlikely to reoffend, she would impose a two-year sentence on each accused, suspended for five years, and she bound all five to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for that period.