A FORMER Cork senior footballer who is also a member of the Garda was called a “pig” during a melee at a county championship match and was subsequently punched in the face by a rival player and kicked in the jaw as he lay on the ground, a court heard yesterday.
Valley Rovers player Noel O’Donovan (22) from Upton, Crossbarry, Co Cork, was yesterday convicted of assault causing harm to James Masters.
Mr Masters plays Gaelic football with his local club, Nemo Rangers, and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 2005 until 2010.
Cork District Court heard yesterday that Mr Masters (29) from Douglas, Cork, was assaulted during a county championship match between Nemo Rangers and Valley Rovers on August 8th, 2010, in Ballygarvan, Co Cork.
Mr Masters said the match was comparable to any normal competitive championship game until five minutes before the end of play when a dispute broke out. He stated that he did not want to get involved in the fracas and was walking away from it.
“I know he [Noel] wasn’t in my line of vision until I turned and got hit. I fell to the ground in a clump. I fell on the floor and was trying to get back upon my feet. When I got hit I fell and looked then saw the Valley Rovers No 2. I stared up and I got a kick from the same player. All I know is that he [O’Donovan] was calling me pig and he hit and kicked me and did a handcuffs gesture.” Mr Masters said his occupation as a garda was not generally used as a taunt on the pitch even in highly charged matches such as the one in Ballygarvan.
Mr Masters said there was a minor incident in the first half of the match between himself and O’Donovan. He claimed the Valley Rovers player clenched his fist and said “get away from me”. He denied suggestions made by defence solicitor Eddie Burke that he had taunted O’Donovan insisting that he was not a confrontational player.
Mr Burke said his client’s contention was that Mr Masters was being sarcastic and condescending during play. Mr Burke said O’Donovan readily admitted punching Mr Masters but he vehemently denied suggestions that he kicked the player in the face when he was on the ground. He also denied having any animosity towards members of the Garda in spite of allegedly calling Mr Masters a pig.
The court heard that O’Donovan is without previous convictions and the match in Ballygarvan was the first time the 22-year-old received a red card or was booked.
Judge Leo Malone was informed that Mr Masters had a plate put in his jaw following an accidental collision with a player in a match in 2007. He had not any problems with the plate until the aftermath of the match in Ballygarvan in 2010.
He required three stitches to the lefthand side of his face arising out of the dispute and a month after the Ballygarvan match his jaw began to swell over four or five times in size.
He subsequently had to have the plate removed. However, he was able to return to competitive sport a few weeks after the incident and is in perfect health.
A spectator at the game, Richard Fitzgerald, described the match as being a “handbags at five paces” affair. He told the court that O’Donovan struck Mr Masters and then gave him a kick in the jaw when he was on the ground.
Mr Fitzgerald said O’Donovan made a gesture along the lines of “arrest me now” to Mr Masters. Judge Malone heard that Mr Fitzpatrick is a soccer fan who has no affiliation with either of the clubs and only attended the match at the request of family members. The referee at the game, Gerard Sweeney, said in evidence that he saw no punches being struck. However, he witnessed the kicking incident and issued a red card to O’Donovan.
O’Donovan’s solicitor said his client was unemployed but does not claim social welfare.
In his favour O’Donovan co-operated fully with gardaí and had never come to the attention of the courts.
Judge Malone said the weight of evidence was on the prosecution side. He described O’Donovan’s actions as “cowardly” and outrageous before fining him €1,000.