Knock-out punch in row over queue at petrol pump

A motorist who asked another driver to move along from a petrol pump in a busy garage was punched in the face and knocked unconscious, a garda said yesterday.

Garda John Paul Twomey testified at Cork District Court that the incident occurred at O’Reilly’s garage on Watercourse Rd in Cork.

Ian McDonald said he was queuing in the garage on February 20, 2015, at a time when all the pumps were occupied and the driver in front was sitting there without making any attempt to move on, despite the fact his passenger had come out of the shop and back to the car.

“I tapped on the window and asked him to move forward. He ignored me completely and didn’t even look in my direction. I gestured for him to move forward,” said Mr McDonald.

The injured party added that he put his hands on the back of the car and gave it a push from behind. “He gets out of the car shouting at me, ‘how dare you touch my car, you’ll be sorry you English bastard’. I said, ‘Could you just move forward.’ He punched me and I was knocked unconscious.”

Garda Twomey responded to the reported assault and saw a car rushing towards an exit. He put on the patrol car’s blue lights and siren but the car still took off.

David O’Brien, aged 43, of Lower Dromore, Dromahane, Mallow, Co Cork, failed to appear in Cork District Court yesterday. Judge Olann Kelleher convicted him of assault causing harm and issued a warrant for his arrest. Garda Twomey said he questioned the accused and he said Mr McDonald wanted him to move forward but his way was blocked by a jeep. “I told him to chillax. I told him if he didn’t cop on I would knock him out,” the accused told the guard.

He claimed there was a scuffle between them and he gave McDonald a slight tap and then hit him a second time. “Did you knock him out?” Garda Twomey asked. O’Brien replied: “Yeah, I don’t know what was wrong with him, he was bulling for a fight. I was minding my own business when this happened.”

Judge Kelleher said: “This is a vicious assault, to knock this man out. I have no hesitation convicting him of assault causing harm.” The judge also convicted him of dangerous driving.