Former butcher knocked elderly neighbour off ladder in ‘bad blood’ row 

By Natasha Reid 

 A 65-year-old man has been given a suspended sentence for knocking his elderly neighbour off a ladder as he trimmed the hedge between their two back gardens. 

Ciaran Watters hit the fence on which the ladder was resting with a shovel so ferociously that the man in his late 70s fell flat on his back and the head of the shovel came off its handle.

There had been a history of bad blood between them, the court heard. 

The former butcher was before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, where he pleaded guilty to assaulting Patrick Dunne causing him harm at the boundary between their homes on Drumcondra Road in Dublin on June 14, 2021. 

Garda Noel McBrearty testified that there had been difficulty between the two next-door neighbours in the past, and that this was not the first time he had been called. 

He said that on this afternoon, Mr Dunne was cutting a hedge, which was creeping up the dividing wall in his back garden.

The division comprised a concrete or block wall on top of which there was a three-foot wooden fence. 

Mr Dunne was standing on a ladder, which was leaning against the wooden fence when he noticed Watters in his own garden.

The accused then ran towards the wall and hit the wooden fence with a shovel.

Before Mr Dunne could react and get down off the ladder, the accused did the same thing a second time. 

The injured party lost his balance, fell to the ground and landed on his back.

The strimmer was lying beside him but the blades had stopped.

The head of the shovel was also lying beside him in his garden, such was the degree of force used. 

Mr Dunne, who had previously undergone two hip replacements, had significant pain in his hip, spine and shoulder.

He called his wife, who had heard two extremely loud bangs before hearing her husband screaming her name. 

Mr Dunne went to his doctor that day and gave a statement to gardai the following day. 

The accused attended Ballymun Garda Station two days later, when he initially said that Mr Dunne’s account was a false allegation. 

When asked if he could recall where he was on the afternoon in question, he said that he was ‘probably up in the swimming club’. 

In his victim impact statement, Mr Dunne said he now requires medication for pain relief for his spine, and that he has had several follow-up appointments with his GP and a specialist, including at the Spine Care Institute. 

He also has flashbacks, and considerable anxiety when thinking about what might have happened. 

Before the assault, he would walk three or four miles most nights, but now his body “just gives up” when out shopping with his wife. 

The court heard that Mr Watters had a previous conviction for a minor assault and one for criminal damage. 

Gda McBrearty agreed with the defence counsel that Watters has not come to garda attention since that date.

He also agreed that there had been a history of bad blood between the two next-door neighbours. 

Counsel told the judge that his client was the eldest of 17 children and had suffered trauma as a child, with which he had never dealt.

He had worked as a butcher before setting up his own courier business, but was now the sole carer for his wife, who has medical difficulties. 

His wife and three children, while not condoning his behaviour on the day, were in court to support him. 

 “As a result of his behaviour on the day in question, through the offices of his wife and children, he was made to reflect on his life,” counsel said, explaining that Watters came to the realisation that he was suffering from severe alcohol dependence. 

“He doesn’t know why he went at the fence with the shovel, but he was under the influence of alcohol,” counsel said. 

Watters has since completed an inpatient course for his addiction in St Patrick’s Hospital and hasn’t taken a drink since. 

The court heard that he’s very apologetic, has undertaken not to interfere physically or verbally with his next-door neighbour and has offered €5,000 to him as a sign of his remorse. 

The barrister handed in a number of references, including from friends and neighbours who described him as a positive influence, and a caring and compassionate person. 

Judge Orla Crowe described the case as a lamentable state of affairs. 

“You share the same driveway,” she noted. 

“As a result of the impact with the shovel, which was so ferocious the head of the shovel came off, he found himself lying on his back,” she said. 

Noting that the injured party had been using a bladed strimmer, she said that it was fortunate that no further injury was caused to him. 

 “He was in his own garden doing his gardening and should not have been subject to this assault,” she added. 

She proposed a sentence of two years, but fully suspended it for three years on a number of conditions. 

These included that Watters must not interfere with his neighbours and allow them peaceful and quiet enjoyment of their property.

He must not play loud music at night time, or throw food stuff into the side passages.

She also ordered the payment of the €5,000 to Mr Dunne. 

When asked if he accepted the conditions, Watters replied: “I do indeed. Thank you.” 

He then left with a large number of supporters.