Mum ‘ set kids on assault victim like a bunch of dogs’ in shop carpark

A 40- year- old mother- of- nine has been warned she may face prison for giving a woman “the mother and father of all beatings” in a supermarket car park.

Marcella Rooney was roundly condemned by Judge Kevin Kilrane at Sligo District Court for also setting her young children on Ms Chanara O’Boyle in Aldi car park on July 6th 2015 “like a bunch of dogs.”

Ms O’Boyle told the court that she initially had a “civil” conversation with Rooney “as a Mum to a Mum” in the car park about her daughter’s behaviour, asking Rooney to ensure her daughter stopped calling her a “whore.”

Both women went in and did their shopping without incident. However, as Ms O’Boyle was filling her boot with shopping afterwards, Rooney passed by in her car with her children. Ms O’Boyle said she again asked Rooney to ensure her children behaved.

At this point, Ms O’Boyle claimed that Rooney jumped out of her car and grabbed her by the top of her head, started kicking her, stuck her finger in her eye and bit her finger.

“I’m terrified of this family. She pulled me by the hair, anyway they could get me, her and her children. I got a bang to my temple, scrapes on my arms and legs. No one wants to give evidence over this,” she told the court.

Under cross- examination by Ms Laura Spellman, defending, Ms O’Boyle said Rooney said at one point to her children “Give it to her.”

Ms Spellman said: “Ms Rooney told you to make sure that your family didn’t cause any trouble and you spat into her car.”

“I’m not like that,” said Ms O’Boyle. “She assaulted me with her children,” she replied.

Taking the witness stand, Rooney, of St Joseph’s Terrace, Sligo, admitted that “we did have a struggle” but said her daughter was trying to separate them. “We had a nice conversation but it escalated,” she told the court.

“Did your children bite her?” asked Inspector Donal Sweeney. “No, it was me. Her finger caught my mouth,” she said. Judge Kilrane convicted Rooney of assault. “This is a vicious assault by Marcella Rooney and her family. She encouraged her family to lay into this woman and why should she not go to prison?” he asked Ms Spellman.

“To attack her and exhort her children to attack and give her the mother and father of a beating so she had to go to hospital. She has great difficulty with the truth,” he said.

Ms Spellman said Rooney had nine children but Judge Kilrane said if she was sent to prison he would ask the Gardaí and the HSE to look after her children. He said if Rooney “set her children on an innocent lady like a bunch of dogs that’s not exactly being a good parent.”

He said if the victim or her family were “interfered with in the slightest, verbally or otherwise, Marcella Rooney is going to prison.” He told the victim to report any interference by Rooney to the Gardaí. He remanded Rooney on continuing bail to April 24th for sentencing.