A MAN who was almost beaten to death after a gang took his shotgun from him and used it to beat him up appeared before Galway District Court on charges of having the gun and ammunition in his possession for unlawful purposes.
Thomas Coyle, Dun na Mara Drive, Renmore, Galway, faced the charges as a result of his confrontation with a group of six people at Renmore Road on December 8th, 1995.
Det Garda Cyril McDonagh told the court Coyle had attended a social function before he became involved in an altercation with six people outside a takeaway in Galway city centre.
He then went towards the railway station and was followed by the others. He managed to reach his home in Renmore via the railway track and got possession of his legally held shotgun before the others came along.
Det Garda McDonagh said Coyle received near fatal injuries in the incident and spent a long period in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. The court heard he is still recovering and has not been able to return to his job in Thermo King since.
Garda McDonagh said Coyle was not well enough to make a statement to him until June 3rd, 1996. Even then, he had no recollection of the incident. The gun had been found at the scene of the assault.
Mr Michael Ryan, defending, told the court his client had no recollection of the event due to the injuries he had sustained.
He said his client was pleading guilty to the charges. He explained he was doing so because of his medical condition. He said his client would not be able to return to work in the foreseeable future.
Supt Pat Forde, prosecuting, said the DPP had directed that Coyle's case be dealt with first and the other six people would be appearing before the court on an other date. This situation prevented him from disclosing evidence which might prejudice the defendants in the other case.
Judge Garavan said the DPP's directions were very unsatisfactory from the court's point of view. "How can I give him six months in prison or fine him £1,000 on these charges with evidence on the matter being handed over so grudgingly?" he asked.
"I realise premature disclosures might prejudice another case to be heard in the future, but as I don't know enough about this case I'm happy to apply the Probation Act," he added.