Court confrontation as man is jailed for knocking down pregnant woman

THERE WERE angry confrontations between up to 50 members of opposing Traveller families outside Waterford city courthouse last night.

John Delaney (22) was jailed for five years in connection with aincident in which a heavily-pregnant teenage girl was knocked down by a car last November. A boy was born hours after the incident, which took place near the cattle mart on the Old Kilmeadan Road in Co Waterford.

Delaney appeared at the Circuit Criminal Court in Waterford yesterday afternoon. He pleaded guilty to burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal damage.

Up to 20 gardaí surrounded the courthouse gates and locked them shortly before 5pm as more Travellers made their way into the court.

The girl told the court she came out of a caravan as cars began ramming a number of vehicles, and was struck by Delaney in a car.

Clutching a relic, Delaney said: "I'll swear by this relic that I'm very sorry; that was never meant for her."

Judge Olive Buttimer told Delaney there was "no excuse for knocking down an 8½-month pregnant woman. I don't accept that a feud is an excuse for driving recklessly." However, she did accept that Delaney's remorse was "real".

She adjourned the final two years of Delaney's sentence.