Baker struck heart patient in row over dog faeces

A BAKER has been fined after attacking a heart patient in a row over dog faeces.

Trevor Orr appeared at Falcarragh District Court charged with attacking Don Mooney at his home in Ramelton, Co. Donegal, on February 2, 2017.

The court heard there had been bad blood between the pair amidst claims the accused man’s brother Michael had washed dog excrement into the yard of Mr Mooney.

The court was also told that Mr Mooney’s partner is a sister of the Orr brothers.

Mr Mooney told how he left his home to visit his father but returned as he forgot his keys and found both Orr and his brother Michael on his property.

He told them to get off his land and Michael Orr pulled his brother away, but Trevor struck out and hit Mr Mooney in the chest.

Mr Mooney called gardaí and then an ambulance as he was a heart patient and had undergone extensive treatment for the past 15 years.

He said that while in the ambulance, he passed out and was admitted to Letterkenny University Hospital, but was released later that day.

Mr Mooney’s daughter Kim took pictures which showed severe bruising on her father’s chest.

However, the solicitor for Orr, Frank Dorrian, said there had been no mention of the bruising in the medical report. Mr Mooney told Judge Paul Kelly that there had been an ongoing disagreement between himself and Michael Orr after he allegedly washed dog excrement on to his property.

Both the environmental health section of the local council and gardaí had been made aware of this.

Mr Mooney said: ‘I’ve more to be bothered with keeping healthy. I just want an easy life and to be left alone. I’m not going to let people wash dog excrement on to my street, which I keep very tidy.’

Both Michael and Trevor Orr took to the witness stand, and both emphatically denied that any such incident had taken place.

They admitted that there had been ongoing tensions between the two parties but said no assault had ever taken place.

Judge Kelly said the combination of all the evidence was sufficient to prove the events.

On the matter of the bruising to Mr Mooney, Judge Kelly said that it is often the case that bruising does not appear for hours or even days after an event.

He found Orr, a 43-year-old baker from Leitir, Kilmacrennan, Co. Donegal, guilty of assault causing harm and fined him €250.

‘I just want to be left alone’