Young man in court after violent bar brawl with girlfriend

A YOUNG couple from Wexford who went to a hotel to celebrate their anniversary ended up fighting so violently they carried out ‘numerous assaults’ on each other.

Distressed customers watched as Davin Murphy, aged 25, and his then girlfriend brawled with each other at the bar for 14 minutes, a court heard.

Murphy was coming out of the hotel with a pair of scissors when gardai arrived.

Judge David McHugh adjourned the case at Blanchardstown District Court and said he would leave Murphy without convictions if he undertook 20 hours of voluntary work, wrote an apology to gardai and made a €200 charity donation.

Murphy’s partner, from whom he has since separated, has already been dealt with under the Probation Act, leaving her without a conviction.

Murphy, of Coolaught, Clonroche, pleaded guilty to affray and possession of a weapon.

The Court heard the incident happened at Maldron Hotel, Newlands Cross, on December 11 last year. Garda John Duffy told the court he was called to the hotel at 2.30 a.m. after a reported public order incident.

Murphy was exiting the hotel carrying scissors, which were removed from him after a brief struggle. Staff and members of the public were distressed. On viewing CCTV footage, gardai saw ‘Davin Murphy and his partner involved in numerous assaults against each other’ and were enaged in ‘fighting behaviour’ that lasted for around 14 minutes at the hotel bar.

‘I would say the co-accused started it, but Mr Murphy contributed equal or more measures to it,’ said Garda Duffy. Murphy apologised for his behaviour, which was ‘out of character,’ his lawyer said.

The couple had travelled from Wexford to celebrate their anniversary and, when the argument ensued, Murphy did his best to extricate himself. He returned to the hotel but was followed by his partner, his lawyer said.

He only had the scissors because he had borrowed them from staff earlier to remove tags from new clothes that the couple were wearing to go out.

The row broke out in the foyer. Murphy was said to be an ‘earnest young man’ who had no previous convictions and had since voluntarily attended psychotherapy.