'Disagreement over vehicle' -Longford dad of seven 'lost temper' and attacked mechanic

An irate Longford car owner who lost his temper and assaulted his mechanic has been convicted and fined with the judge commenting that it was an 'unusual' case.

Michael Nevin (37) of Fisherstown, Clondra pleaded guilty to assaulting a mechanic at Stonework, Longford on March 5, 2024 when they got into a disagreement over how long it was taking to repair his car.

Sergeant Enda McNulty, court presenter, said at 4pm on the day in question.

"The injured party, a mechanic, said he was assaulted at his place of work by a customer who was later identified and confirmed as the defendant."

Sgt McNulty said the customer complained about how long it was taking to fix the vehicle and after this interaction Mr Nevin struck him in the throat with his hand causing him pain and breathlessness.

"He attended Portiuncula Hospital for an assessment and he was given painkillers and released."

The court heard the defendant had 47 previous convictions.

Solicitor Diarmuid Quinn, defending, said his client, a married father of seven, had €500 in compensation in court for the injured party and he had entered an early guilty plea and he was remorseful.

"There was a disagreement over the vehicle, essentially he had left it in for repairs and the car was there nine months and I think he paid over a significant amount for the repairs."

Mr Quinn said the car was left in for a service but ultimately the vehicle did not leave for a lengthy spell.

"The car came out worse than it went in in that there were certain difficulties that had arisen with it, it was there for a very prolonged period of time.

"Needless to say he was beginning to lose his patience with him and he called in on this occasion and he saw one of the mechanics who was laughing at him and there was a bit of a confrontation.

"He will say that it was a defensive manoeuvre as opposed to a striking motion but he felt that the other mechanic was coming at him and he did raise his arms, we accept that.

"He has come to court with compensation and he is regretful of his actions, he certainly lost his temper in the heat of the moment but at that stage he felt he was getting the run around by the mechanics."

Judge Bernadette Owens noted the facts and she described the case as being 'somewhat unusual'.

"It's probably a thing of the past really but we all probably encounter frustration when we are waiting for something to be sorted out.

"But in any event Mr Nevin went the wrong way about it."

Judge Owens noted the defendant's family circumstances, his early guilty plea and that the compensation had been paid and she commented that she was sure it was not easy to gather that money.

Judge Owens subsequently convicted Mr Nevin and imposed a €200 fine with six months to pay.

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