A 60-year old man put Irish Water metre installation workers in fear of their lives when he came out of his home armed with an air gun after finding that his shower wasn’t working.
Solicitor for Peter Scanlon, John Casey told Ennis District Court yesterday that his client’s actions “had nothing do with the water protests”.
He said: “On this date, Mr Scanlon was annoyed that when he went for a shower, it wasn’t working and he got very agitated”.
Mr Scanlon’s shower not working occurred after Irish Water installation metre workers switched off water along Mr Scanlon’s road in Clarecastle as they installed the water metres.
Mr Scanlon had also complained to the workers the previous day about the noise they were making when installing the metres.
In the case, Mr Scanlon of Quay Rd, Clarecastle pleaded guilty to unlawfully intending to intimidate another with a firearm and to having no license for the firearm on November 20th last outside his Clarecastle home.
Insp Tom Kennedy told the court yesterday that after Mr Scanlon came out of his home armed with the firearm “he held up the air gun and pointed it at the Irish Water contractors”.
He said: “The workers that were working there were sent fleeing out of the holes in the ground and they retreated, as they saw it, to safety.”
Det Garda Brendan Rouine told the court that Mr Scanlon came out of his home “but didn’t make any threats or comments at the workers. Mr Scanlon approached the workers with the air gun and as soon as they looked up and saw him with it, they legged it.”
Det Rouine said that Mr Scanlon walked down the road and threw the air gun into the river.
Insp Kennedy said that there were reports that a shot was fired.
Det Rouine said: “There was one witness who thought that Mr Scanlon turned around and took a shot. All of the witnesses were running at the time from the vicinity, but we are satisfied that there wasn’t a shot. Mr Scanlon had no ammunition for the gun."
Det Rouine said that the gun was recovered from the water and was shown in court yesterday to Judge Patrick Durcan.
Det Rouine said that Mr Scanlon was fully co-operative and accepted his role. He said that Mr Scanlon’s two main concerns on the morning were the noise and being cut off.
Judge Durcan said: “We have read a lot about water protests against the new regime in relation to the supply of water. This isn’t a case that falls into that category. This man’s actions were not one of protest but reacting to not having his own water.”
Det Rouine agreed and stated that the incident occurred at the height of the publicity around the protests against the water charges.
Det Rouine said that Mr Scanlon hasn’t worked for a number of years.
Mr Casey described Mr Scanlon as a ‘harmless man’ who has a number of medical issues and handed a medical report into court.
He said: “Mr Scanlon carried the air gun out and said ‘look what I have’ but because of all the difficulties around water protests that when the water metre installers saw this, they took to the hills’.
Mr Casey said that Mr Scanlon did apologise for his actions.
Judge Durcan said: “These are very serious charges. Anyone who confronts anyone with a weapon of any kind, is in my view, committing a very serious offence."
However, Judge Durcan accepted that in the case, there are very particular circumstances and at the time of the incident, Mr Scanlon “was suffering from a severe form of anxiety”.
Judge Duncan said: “He reacted in an inappropriate way by taking out the air gun and putting the fear of life into people who he confronted with it.”
Fining Mr Scanlon €250, Judge Durcan said that the man “did a very, very foolish thing”.
He said that it would be improper and inappropriate to say that Mr Scanlon was engaged in any protest against the water charges.
He added: “I am satisfied that Mr Scanlon had no intent to use the gun and he was reacting to not being able to use his water."
