Taghmon man guilty of producing knife during Main Street assault

A TAGHMON man has been found guilty of two charges of assault and affray on Wexford’s Main St last week.

Michael Carr, High St, Taghmon had pleaded not guilty before Judge Barry Hickson at Wexford Circuit Criminal Court of assaulting Ray Carthy at North Main Street Wexford on July 31, 2014. He also pleaded not guilty to affray on the same date.

A jury of 10 men and two women returned unanimous guilty verdicts on both charges.

Prosecuting Counsel Sinead Gleeson told the jury that during an altercation on North Main Street a knife was produced by the accused.

Investigating Sgt Pat Casey told the trial that he and Garda Kevin Byrne arrived at the scene following a telephone call made to Wexford Garda Station. The accused was with his girlfriend Kellie Roche and they had a young child with them.

He said there was a report of one person having a knife. Having searched the accused, along with his girlfriend and buggie, there was no sign of a knife. The other person allegedly involved in the incident had left the scene.

Sgt Casey said Michael Carr had some blood on his face. The accused told them who the other person was but having searched the area they could not locate him.

Sgt Casey said the accused identified the other man involved as Ray Carthy.

Charity collector Ray Ward said he was working on Main Street when the incident occurred. He said was walking from the Post Office in Anne Street with his girlfriend and child when Ray Carthy came up from behind and hit him on the head. Carr took a cigarette lighter out of his pocket and ran at Carthy.

Sgt Casey said CCTV footage from Hynes Jewellers gave a view of the incident.

Defence Counsel Dylan Redmond said the accused was adamant no knife was involved. He agreed with everything that was in the statement but did not agree with the version he had a knife.

Mr. Redmond also said there was no knife and one could not see any knife on the CCTV footage, to which Sgt Casey replied: ‘I do not believe the CCTV footage was clear.’

Replying to Mr. Redmond the Sgt said Ms Roche, who is now deceased, declined to make a statement.

A legal application from Mr. Redmond for the jury to be discharged due to insufficient evidence was unsuccessful, with the prosecution arguing that Mr Ward’s evidence was quite clear that the man with tatoos under his eyes - Michael Carr - was the man with the knife.

Following an absence of a little over an hour the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on both counts.

On the application of Mr. Redmond that sentencing be adjourned to allow for the preparation of a Probation and Welfare report, Judge Hickson adjourned sentence to November 1 next.

The defendant was remanded on continuing bail.