Families ‘are virtually at war for six years’

IT began with an assault on an 11-year-old girl and escalated into a bitter dispute between two families involving claims of intimidation, abuse and harassment.

Tipperary Town Circuit Court yesterday heard how the Heaney and Ryan families from Thurles were virtually at war for six years.

Nuala Heaney told the court the feud began when her youngest daughter, Angela, was assaulted by Matt Ryan on September 1, 1997. He alleged the girl gestured towards his wife, Eileen Ryan.

The Heaney family made 38 separate complaints to the gardaí about Mr Ryan between September 1, 1997, and April 2, 2002. The gardaí called to the Ryan family home on up to 100 separate occasions.

The Heaneys yesterday claimed Matt Ryan of 57 Sean Treacy Avenue, Thurles, Co Tipperary:

Shouted abuse at them.

Used binoculars to watch the family home at Upper Bohernamara Road .

Drove around a playground on his motorbike wearing a balaclava and intimidating their little girl.

Sat on their wall rubbing and slapping his buttocks.

Fondled himself and simulated sex.

Mr Ryan denied the allegations. He also denied engaging in a regime of abuse, intimidation, harassment and threatening behaviour as well as inflicting emotional suffering on the plaintiff.

However, Mr Ryan pleaded guilty to the assault of the young girl.

The Heaneys have lodged separate High Court proceedings against the gardaí, alleging they lied and did not always act when complaints were made.

Mrs Heaney, a mother of three, told the court yesterday a few days after Christmas 1991, she was in the sitting room of her home with one of her daughters when she saw Matt Ryan sitting on a wall with his back to the house. She said he rubbed and slapped his bottom, unzipped his trousers, rubbed his private parts and simulated sex.

She said she would pass Mr Heaney’s house regularly to get to her parents’ home and he would expose himself. “He would stand in his garage and expose himself. He seemed to think it was very funny. When I came back down from my parents’ house he was standing on the flat roof of his house with binoculars.”

Mrs Heaney also alleges that she found 40 golf balls in her front and back garden and that, on one occasion, Mr Ryan hit a golf ball in her direction using a hurley.

Matt Ryan told the court his daughter, Maria, had stopped serving at Mass and had become very withdrawn because of the alleged bullying at the hands of Angela Heaney and others. He admitted slapping Angela Heaney and said he regretted it and two days later went to the Heaney house to apologise, but he denied all other allegations made by the Heaneys and a number of other witnesses in the case. He said gardaí had called to their house on up to 100 occasions and he had lost three stone in weight over the stress which ensued. He’d even been off work for seven weeks on one occasion and had become seriously depressed and even suicidal.

Mr Ryan admitted he owns two balaclavas and has a motorbike, but denied he ever drove around the playground near their home intimidating Angela Heaney or any other child. He said he doesn’t play golf and did not own 40 golf balls and added he could not have hit them on to the property at the time alleged as he was off work suffering from sciatica at the time and was strapped and taking pain killing medication.

“At the time, I couldn’t even pick up anything, never mind hit it,” he said.

Mr Ryan denied he ever used foul language towards the Heaneys and said he never exposed himself or acted improperly towards them on his property, at a Statoil garage or on the Heaney property saying “it’s a filthy thing to say about anyone. It’s disgusting and I never did it in any way”.

Judge Olive Buttimer has reserved judgment on the matter and in a counter-claim lodged by the Ryans restraining the Heaneys from watching them, besetting or interfering with them. They have also lodged a claim for damages, aggravated damages and costs.