Three men have been before the District Court at Bandon in Cork charged with assault in an incident involving an air hose in which another man was seriously injured. All three were arrested this morning and have been released on bail pending their trial. The quiet West Cork village of Enniskeane made national headlines last August when details of an horriffic assault at the Graingers sawmills in the village shocked the country.
19-year old Bernard O'Donovan suffered serious internal bleeding and injuries in an incident involving an air hose at the plant. Mr O'Donovan was in a critical condition when he was found by other staff an hour later. It's believed he was only working at the sawmills for the summer. He's understood to have made a good recovery since the incident.
At Bandon District Court today, three men were charged with assaulting Mr O'Donovan. 19-year old Declan O'Connell, a first year apprentice from School Line, Balineen in Cork, is said to have co-operated during the garda investigation. Also charged was 17-year old Rohan Mukergee from School Line, Ballineen, who is an apprentice plasterer. The third defendant is 22-year old Colm O'Driscoll from River View Drive, Ballineen, who works as a groundsman. None of the three defendants said anything in reply to the charges.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has decided that all three men should be tried on indictment at the Circuit Criminal Court. Judge James O'Connor remanded them in custody with consent to bail and they'll be back in court again on the second of June.
