A SECURITY guard who watched as a man who later died was ejected from a pub said he played no part in the struggle because he felt it was wrong.
Anthony “Farmer” Hennessy died after an incident at the Mo Chúisle pub on Blarney Street in Cork on March 13th, 2008.
Yesterday, at a resumed inquest into Mr Hennessy’s death, at Cork City Coroner’s Court, on-call security guard John McCarthy said Mr Hennessy was being grabbed and pulled around as he was escorted off the premises.
“They started grabbing him all over and pulling him out and I stepped back. I didn’t feel comfortable with it: all of them against one,” he said.
Mr McCarthy had completed a security training course the previous week. “I know how to safely hold someone and use restraint. I know that a chokehold restrains breathing and can cause damage by putting pressure on other parts of the body,” he said.
Mr McCarthy said Mr Hennessy was aggressive and struggling outside the bar, where he was restrained for as long as 15 minutes by at least three people.
Bar manager Terry Burns and his brother Tony held an arm each. Niall Burns said he held Mr Hennessy across the chest.
Terry Burns had approached Mr Hennessy and asked him to leave the bar and was told to “f*** off”. He then called security in the hope Mr Hennessy might be persuaded to leave.
When his brothers arrived, they agreed that if Mr Hennessy did not leave they would remove him.
“Me and my brothers caught hold of him and walked him out of the bar. It wasn’t smooth; he’s a strong man. Outside, he was trying to break free. I could feel him struggling all the time but I did not feel I could let him go,” Terry Burns said.
Niall Burns, owner of the Mo Chúisle, said he held Mr Hennessy “across the chest” and was afraid to let him go.
He said Mr Hennessy kept pushing down on his arm as he restrained him but denied the grip was a choke hold.
The inquest continues.