Father used pint glass to hit man who approached daughter

A middle-aged father misinterpreted a man’s purpose in asking his daughter for a cigarette and reacted by striking him in the side of the face with a pint glass.

Insp Bill Duane said the young man had left his apartment in the city centre to get cigarettes. As he passed the Courthouse Bar on Cross St, Cork, he saw a young woman outside smoking so he asked her for a cigarette.

However, the woman’s father, William Ahern of 9 Ravensdale Close, Mahon, got the wrong idea.

Ahern, aged 43, shouted: “That’s my daughter, what are you doing?”

The man, David Deegan, aged 29, who had merely asked her for a cigarette, told Ahern to chill out.

Ahern struck Mr Deegan in the side of the face with a pint glass.

Garda Marja Furphy arrived at the scene to find Mr Deegan with swelling and bruising around his right eye, while Ahern was walking away.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said Ahern was pleading guilty to a charge of assaulting Mr Deegan on Jan 31.

Mr Buttimer told Cork District Court that while the defendant did have a pint glass in his hand, it did not break and glass played no part in the injury suffered.

Judge Leo Malone said that if the defendant paid €500 compensation to the injured party by November he would convict and fine him €300 for the assault.

Mr Buttimer said in relation to the incident that there were “two sides to the story” although there was much in common in both versions of events.

“As my client saw it, he was in town on the night. He was in the company of his daughter. He saw the injured party making an approach to his daughter.

“My client misinterpreted the approach and he accepts now that his was a wrong interpretation. He is quite apologetic for his behaviour.”

Judge Malone said to the defence solicitor: “I accept what you say but even if he misconstrued the approach to his daughter he is not entitled to hit him.”