Shoppers take cover as wine bottles thrown in feud

Elderly shoppers and a wheelchair user with special needs had to take cover as bottles of wine flew through the air in a mid-morning battle at a shopping centre.

At Ennis Circuit Court, Garda Michael Daniels said that what occurred between the feuding Keenan and Delaney families at the Tesco shopping centre in Ennis on December 18, 2013 “was an absolute disgrace”.

“Not alone was it disgraceful for both families and involved members of the public, but during it, a man in a wheelchair narrowly missed getting a bottle of wine across his head,” said Garda Daniels

He told the court that the shopping centre was very busy in the run-up to Christmas, with lots of shoppers around and “at the scene, I spoke to two elderly women who were very distraught and upset over what happened”.

CCTV footage seen in court showed four members of the Delaney family run in and out of the Tesco off-licence to grab the bottles of red wine and throw them at two on-rushing members of the Keenan family.

Garda Daniels, who was the first on the scene at 11.18am, said that 10 bottles of wine were thrown during the incident, with a combined value of €99.25.

He said the “large-scale” disturbance at the shopping centre resulted in it going into ‘lockdown’ mode.

Garda Daniels said that elderly people and young persons were taken out of the foyer area to keep them out of harm’s way. He said that numerous 999 calls were made to Ennis Garda Station and he was the first on the scene, where he intervened and put a number of Delaneys into the custody of the Tesco security staff.

Garda Daniels said he had pepper spray ready to be deployed “because the situation was so volatile and aggressive”.

The dispute started after words were exchanged between Ann Marie Delaney and Ann Delaney and Julia Keenan Sr and Julia Keenan Jr as the Delaney women were on their way to a nearby cake shop.

Counsel Brian McInerney BL said it was a chance encounter between the women and it quickly turned into “foul abuse between the ladies”.

Garda Daniels said the women phoned the men and that is how the male members arrived at the scene.

“What happened that morning was an escalation of a feud between the families and on the morning it was the women who started in and the men who finished it,” said Garda Daniels.

Minutes after the bottle- throwing incident, a teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, smashed windows of the car owned by James Delaney, which was parked in the Tesco car park. A five-year-old child was in the car when the attack occurred.

In sentencing, Judge Gerald Keys said that all before the court “have let down their people substantially, which leads to criticism of them from other members of the public”.

Judge Keys imposed suspended 12-month jail terms on Ann Delaney, aged 46, of Waterpark Heights and her son, John Delaney, 18, of the same address, for affray.

The judge also imposed a suspended 12-month jail term on Mrs Delaney’s older son, James Delaney, aged 28 of Gordon Drive, Cloughleigh, and his wife, Ann Marie Delaney, aged 27, of Ashbrook Manor, Moynehall, Cavan for affray.

In relation to James Keenan Jr, aged 19, and James Keenan Sr, 41, both of 30 Childers Rd, Cloughleigh, Ennis, who both pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour, Judge Keys imposed a suspended three-month jail term.