Luck on the horses blamed for garda attack

An unruly incident at the back of the Fox and Hounds was yesterday blamed on a bit of luck on the horses.

Garda Robert Punch was on duty on Ballyvolane Rd after 6pm on December 28, he told Cork District Court.

Edward Murphy, aged 55, came out of the back of the pub into a car park area and proceeded to urinate on the window of a delicatessen.

Garda Punch said Murphy’s actions were visible to a group of teenagers congregating in the area. Garda Punch approached Murphy. “He swung out at me and said get the fuck away from me.”

Emmet Boyle, solicitor, said Murphy had been drinking in the pub that afternoon and went out to the toilet to find it was closed. He ended up going out a back door and urinating outside.

Mr Boyle said there was no question of the delicatessen being open for business or anything like that and that, in fact, there were black plastic sheets taped up inside the window of the shutdown premises.

Murphy, who lives at the Simon community on Anderson’s Quay in Cork, pleaded guilty to being drunk, a danger, and engaging in threatening behaviour.

He apologised to the garda afterwards. “He put it down to having a good day with the horses and he went to the Fox and Hounds for a few drinks,” Garda Punch said.

Judge Con O’Leary fined Murphy €75 for the drunkenness.