Case dismissed against man accused of assaulting customer in Longford hair salon

A judge has dismissed a case against a county Longford hair salon owner, who was accused of assaulting the mother of a young child after they became involved in a heated verbal argument on his premises.

A male defendant appeared at a special sitting of Longford District Court last week charged with assault on the female complainant who claimed she suffered bruising when she was lifted up and forcibly removed from the premises on January 25, 2025.

The complainant also appeared in court charged with a public order breach arising out of the same incident.

Garda Inspector David Jordan, for the State, told Judge Deirdre Gearty there was CCTV footage which would be played and it had captured the incident.

The female complainant, in her late-20s who took the stand and gave evidence, said she had booked an appointment for a wash and blow-dry at her local hair salon.

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She said she brought her daughter with her that day as she 'had nobody else to mind her' and her partner was working at the time but he had agreed to pick the toddler up within 20 minutes at the salon.

The woman said she is a full-time carer for her daughter who is being assessed for a developmental disability and the three year-old had began 'showing off' while her hair was drying when her niece and two friends arrived.

On the CCTV footage the child, who had been previously playing in the corner, can be seen walking behind the counter and payment area at the salon.

A few seconds later the owner, the defendant accused of assault, can be observed on CCTV following the toddler behind the counter and picking her up and carrying her out.

While he is doing so, the child can be heard using a profanity and the salon owner then walks over to the mother of the child to complain.

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The mother told Judge Deirdre Gearty the salon was 'absolutely full' with nine or 10  people in there.

"He could have came over to me and said, 'Your child is after cursing at me and said such a thing, but he roared and shouted in a high-toned voice and he made me feel scared and so embarrassed in the salon."

The pair had a heated argument before the salon owner can be seen on CCTV forcibly removing her.

The mother, who said she had a medical report, claimed he had  'lifted her up' and 'bruised' her.

She said she made a complaint to Gardaí immediately afterwards and she made a statement the next day where she alleged her and her daughter 'had been attacked'.

"We have been attending a doctor, my daughter couldn't sleep after this."

Judge Deirdre Gearty, who responded after the woman listed off a lengthy list of issues arising out of the incident, said they were matters for 'another forum'.

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Solicitor Frank Gearty, who briefly cross-examined the woman, said her statement was quite different to what was observed on the CCTV.

However, Judge Gearty considered the case and said she was dismissing the assault charge as she did not believe the salon was a public place.

"It's a private property and it's a hairdressers and the constituent element of a Section 6 (public order) is a public place so I'm dismissing it against her as well."