Teenage boys who were punched, headbutted and threatened by a businessman in Sligo have said they have suffered significantly as a result of the ordeal they endured, a court has heard.
Cathal O’Connor, aged 40, a married father of two children of Farmhill Manor, Sligo has pleaded guilty to assault causing harm in the North West Business Park, Collooney on 18 March 2024.
Mr O’Connor’s co-accused, 39-year-old Simon Cavanagh - a father of five - from Brú na hAbhann, Collooney appeared before Sligo Circuit Court having pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment on the same date.
Separate charges of false imprisonment and threats to kill pertaining to Mr O’Connor were taken into account on a full facts’ basis.
On 18 March 2024, several youths gathered at the North West Business Park in Coolooney.
Two youths, not victims in the case broke windows in prefabricated buildings belonging to Mr O’Connor.
When Mr O’Connor arrived at the business park in his car with his now wife, he restrained two of the boys.
The court heard he initially pinned one of the boys against a wall and assaulted him, punching him and attempting to headbutt him.
'I will kill you, break your legs'
Another boy asked: "What are you doing?" when Mr O’Connor saw him, he grabbed him too and pinned him against the wall, the court heard.
One of the boys recalled being headbutted, punched in the jaw and cheekbone, kneed in the stomach and being chocked to the point that he could not breathe.
The court heard that boy recalled in his specialist interview that Mr O’Connor told him: "I will kill you, break your legs, and things like that, do you know who I am?"
After a few minutes, Simon Cavanagh arrived and the court heard that both boys were brought into a warehouse.
The court heard that Mr O’Connor told the boys he was going to get the baseball bat so he could break their legs and pinned one of them down.
The court heard that Mr O’Connor repeatedly punched the boys. One of them recalled that Mr O’Connor grabbed a blue metal saw and put it to one of the boys’ legs and said: "I’m going to cut your legs now."
The court was told that Mr O’Connor subsequently put the saw to a boy’s neck and said, "I’m going to kill you now and chop off your head".
The court heard that he took one of the boy’s phones and told him to text his friend to get back to the property. He replied that he would be there in five minutes.
'Get in the van or I'll break your knees'
Mr Cavanagh told one of the boys to get into the van; "get in the van or I'll break your knees", he recalled being told.
They travelled into Collooney and picked up the boy. The court heard the boy thought that it was his friend’s father driving and that is why he got into the van.
The court heard when they arrived back at the warehouse, the boy who was left in the warehouse was wiping blood from his face with a high-vis jacket, given to him by Mr O’Connor.
The court also heard that Mr O’Connor hit the boy with a metal pole around his left eye.
One of the boy’s mothers arrived at the scene. She did not witness any acts of violence. Subsequently, she realised what had happened.
Mr O’Connor had taken the boys phones and discovered videos of damage being carried out at the property by other young people.
He recalled that Mr O’Connor eventually realised that it was not them who caused the damage.
A boy recalled being told by Mr O’Connor if they told anyone that he would find them and kill them and that if they had been older, he would have killed them, the court heard.
The court was told an interview given by another young person corroborated with the boys’ statements as did the external CCTV from the business park.
The court heard that Mr O’Connor had kept a phone belonging to the one of the boys - Mr O’Connor called that boy’s mother on that phone after she had messaged her son twice asking about his whereabouts.
She said he identified himself as Cathal O’Connor and asked if her son was home yet.
She felt sure that he blamed her son for breaking the windows and spoke of his audacity to call her after assaulting her son and holding him in a warehouse.
She then went out looking for her son and eventually saw him on a main road. She later called gardaí and her son’s phone was returned the following day.
A prepared statement Mr O’Connor initially provided to gardaí denied any wrongdoing.
Medical reports detailed in court heard the boys had bodily bruising and scratches. Two of them subsequently attended the emergency department at a local hospital.
One of the phones given back to gardaí in April 2024 contained five videos of damage carried out at the business park; none of the three people who were injured parties were involved.
Media on the phone showed a young person throwing a gas cylinder through a window.
In victim impact statements, all three boys outlined the impact of the assaults on their lives suffering nightmares, struggling with sleep and fearing attacks.
One said he suffered panic attacks, was afraid to attend school and left school early because of those panic attacks.
Another boy said he still struggles with it to this day, while another, whose statement was read by his mother said he could not sleep for weeks and added that he missed weeks of school and had to attend therapy.
Mr O’Connor’s senior counsel, Micheal Bowman said his client was deeply apologetic and was committed to whatever he could do to remedy the situation.
He said his client’s reaction was grossly disproportionate and that he had no entitlement to behave how he did in what was out of character. He offered €35,000, to each of the boys.
Testimonies for both men were handed into the court. Mr O’Connor, who employs more than 100 people took to the witness box and said he was deeply regretful.
Mr Cavanagh, a father of five children, also offered an apology in the court and said he understood that an apology cannot undo what happened.
The court heard that neither of the accused have previous convictions.
The court was told the incident which began about 4.56pm on 18 March 2020 lasted 48 minutes from the time the boys were restrained to leaving the warehouse.
Judge Keelan Johnson will give his determination on the case which he described as hugely distressing for the three boys next Friday morning.
