Council worker threatened with assault had to take cover in van
The accused had 37 previous convictions.
A Cork City Council worker had to get into his work van for safety from threats made by a man with multiple previous convictions for assault.
Sergeant Pat Lyons said the incident occurred on April 12 at Lapp’s Quay, Cork, where the local authority worker was operating at the time.
Sgt Lyons said the worker was approached by John Long, of Cork Simon Community, who behaved in a threatening manner.
“He was very angry and abusive. The Cork City Council employee was fearful of John Long. He sat into the passenger seat of the council truck. Mr Long jammed the door on his leg. He was not injured,” the sergeant said.
Sgt Lyons said the injured party had no desire to make a victim impact statement.
Defence solicitor, Frank Buttimer, said that was very fair and this was what John Long wanted also.
Sgt Lyons said the accused had 37 previous convictions for engaging in threatening behaviour and nine convictions for assault.
Mr Buttimer said the defendant and the injured party were known to each other and that there had spoken to each other a few weeks earlier.
On the day of the assault, Mr Long approached him about what he had said on the last occasion.
“He (the injured party) decided to get back in to his work truck. Mr Long closed the door as opposed to slamming it. There was no injury.
"My client does not want to have anything to do with the injured party and the injured party does not want to have anything to do with Mr Long,” Mr Buttimer said.
The solicitor said the accused had been remanded in custody for two months. Judge Olann Kelleher imposed a five-month suspended prison sentence on Long on the assault charge.
The judge said to Long: “You are stalking people around the town — you will do the five months if there is any more trouble.”
