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File image of Niall Gilligan Cathal Noonan/INPHO

Father of boy allegedly assaulted by Niall Gilligan phoned him to say 'you just attacked my son'

The father said that Gilligan did not respond to the allegation.

LAST UPDATE | 18 Jul

FORMER ALL-STAR and Clare All-Ireland winning hurler, Niall Gilligan told gardaí that he acted in a reasonable manner to protect himself from injury and assault from others at the Jamaica Inn hostel.

At Ennis Circuit Court today, the jury heard that Gilligan made a pre-prepared statement to gardaí at Shannon Garda Station on 19 February, 2024 in response to the then allegation that he assaulted a 12-year-old boy with a stick at the hostel on 5 October 5, 2023.

On Friday, the jury was also told that the 12-year-old boy that Gilligan is alleged to have assaulted sustained a fractured bone in his left hand.

Medical reports from October 2023 show that the boy on examination also had a 2cm wound to his right forearm, a 2cm wound to his right shin, and bruising to his right shoulder. Medics also believed that the boy lost consciousness briefly earlier on 5 October, 2023.

The boy’s hand was placed in a splint and he was advised not to engage in contact sports for one month after its removal.

Photographs of the boy’s injuries were shown to the jury along with the muck-stained clothes that the boy was wearing on 5, October.

In evidence, the boy’s father said that he first brought his son to a VHI clinic at Raheen, Limerick on the evening of 5 October, 2023.

“Once they (medical staff) started cutting his clothes off him they were finding more and more injuries,” he said.

“They found he had soiled himself which led them to believe that he was unconscious at some stage.”

He said that medics at the VHI Clinic made the decision that the boy should be transferred by ambulance to the A&E at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

He said he didn’t believe his son’s initial story – that he had fallen off his bike.

“I definitely didn’t think that he fell off a bike. He was covered head to toe in muck,” the father said.

He said that his son “had a swollen hand and he was limping.

“He was talking quite fast as well and he was pale, so I imagine adrenaline and shock.”

The father told the jury today that he got Niall Gilligan’s phone number on the evening of 5 October, after his son alleged that Gilligan had assaulted him with a stick.

Gilligan (48) of Rossroe, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, denies the charge of assault causing harm.

In evidence, the father said that he phoned Gilligan and said: “I am currently in A&E with my son who you just viciously attacked.”

The father said that Gilligan did not respond to the allegation.

In his account of the phone call – a prepared statement read out in court by Detective Garda Noel Carroll, Gilligan said: “He said that his son got hurt. I made no comment to that after his son and others had broken into my building and caused extensive damage, including lighting a fire, releasing my fire extinguishers, breaking windows, writing graffiti.”

Gilligan said that he decided there and then to take legal advice “as soon as I could about this call and make a formal complaint to the gardaí about the damage and trespass”.

He was formally arrested on suspicion of assault at Shannon Garda Station on 19 February, 2024 and accompanied there by his solicitor, Daragh Hassett. Gilligan denied any assault and said that on 5 October, 2023 at the Jamaica Inn hostel he “acted in a reasonable manner to protect myself from injury and assault from a person or persons unknown to me in the conditions that prevailed”.

In the statement running to five pages, Gilligan added: “I acted in a reasonable manner to protect my property from destruction by fire and further damage.”

He said: “I didn’t know who or what was coming at me that night.

“Something was coming at me, wasn’t retreating or calling out to me so I had to defend myself as any reasonable person would.

“I feel sorry for the boy but the fact is that if he and others hadn’t broken into my property, lit a fire, stole the keys and caused other damage, this incident would never have happened.”

He continued: “Since this incident, there has been despicable commentary about me over what actually happened – none of which is true. I am glad that I have the opportunity to set the record straight.”

On the incident with the boy at the Jamaica Inn, Gilligan told gardaí that he realised on the evening of 5 October “that I wasn’t alone in the building”.

He said: “I went back down slowly picking up a wooden stick I found on the ground. As I entered the hallway, I heard voices and then saw two people running away to my left towards the external door I had come in.”

“I then heard footsteps fast coming behind me over my right shoulder. I felt I was going to be attacked so to protect myself I drew out with the stick on two occasions and then kicked out twice.

“I shouted at the person to get back as I did this. At that stage, I could see that I was dealing with a male youth. I grabbed him by his coat or jacket and brought him out of the building.

“We went around the back to see where the other two intruders had gone to.

“When we got around the back we got entangled in the dark and fell on top of each other on a slippery path under the pine trees.”

Gilligan said that he told the youth “never to again enter my property”.

He said: “I proceeded to walk him out to the front gate. I asked him his name at this stage. He gave his name. He made no complaint of any injuries to me.”

He said: “At that stage, I met Pat Donnellan who was parked outside. I told him that managing the property was a nightmare.”

Gilligan said that he had been “very concerned about fire and vandalism at the Jamaica Inn hostel”.

He said: “Around this time there were rumours in Sixmilebridge that I was going to lease the building as accommodation for asylum seekers.

“There was resistance locally to this and there was no truth in that rumour as I had never been approached but I was concerned about an arson at the property especially after a fire had been lit and fire extinguishers were discharged.”

Gilligan said that due to the concern that the building would be burnt out, he rang the gardaí on 4 October just before lunchtime, but the call rang out.

He said: “I called into Sixmilebridge Garda Station a few times that day but did not get to meet any garda on duty.”

Gilligan said that he purchased the Jamaica Inn hostel in 2022 and sold it on in late 2023 to a company in Shannon who required accommodation for staff.

Judge Francis Comerford told the jury that they had heard a lot of evidence today.

He cautioned: “Don’t come to any firm conclusions in your own minds until you have heard all the evidence, the speeches by the lawyers and the charge from me.”

The trial continues before a jury of seven men and five women on Monday.

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