A court heard how Roderic O’Gorman, the leader of the Green Party, was seized by the shoulders and referred to as a “big fairy” while campaigning for the general election, reports The Mirror.
When the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth was going door-to-door in the Erris Square, Waterville neighbourhood of Blanchardstown, Dublin, on November 2, the event occurred.
In Erris Square, Waterville, Blanchardstown, 45-year-old salesman Karl Ronan acknowledged to assaulting Roderic O’Gorman, threatening and abusing him, and breaking his clipboard, reports The Mirror.
He made another appearance before Judge David McHugh at Blanchardstown District Court today after entering a guilty plea last month. He apologised to the politician by email, which the O’Gorman accepted, according to Judge McHugh.
The court heard that Ronan “lost control,” shoved O’Gorman from his property, and tossed O’Gorman’s clipboard, which broke off a wall, according to an account of the circumstances. Judge David McHugh called his acts “homophobic, it would appear,” “deliberate,” and “appalling,” reports The Mirror.
He has postponed the case to a date in February and is contemplating 200 hours of community service in lieu of four months in jail. Garda Joseph Rogers provided proof that O’Gorman was canvassing in Erris Square on November 2, 2024, around 12:40 p.m.
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Ronan grew agitated, snatched his clipboard, and hurled it against a wall, breaking it while he was speaking to the defendant outside his house.
According to the court, Ronan shoved O’Gorman off his property and demanded him to leave the land before taking the TD by the shoulders and ordering him to do so, reports The Mirror.
A garda protection officer stepped in and escorted O’Gorman out. But Ronan followed, shouting, “Don’t come back,” while he recorded them on his phone. According to the court, he allegedly said to O’Gorman, “You big fairy, you have an old woman minding you,” reports The Mirror.
The defendant was previously convicted of two minor driving infractions. The fact that this was “a shameful act” and “an affront to the whole democratic process” was acknowledged by his lawyer, Simon Fleming.
The counsel emphasised, however, that Ronan did not have far-right political beliefs, reports The Mirror.
He claimed that the COVID epidemic had caused his client, a father of two, to lose his company. Up until that point, he had five employees, therefore he was disappointed by the loss.
According to the court, Ronan also gave €500 to St. Francis Hospice in O’Gorman’s name. The defence attorney said that the TD was “a very compassionate and forgiving” guy and that he had accepted Ronan’s apologies, but his victim impact statement was not read aloud during the court, reports The Mirror.
According to the lawyer, his client “lost control” and “made a fool of himself” and would now have to cope with the notoriety. According to Judge McHugh, the fact that this was an assault on a person performing a public function was an aggravating circumstance, reports The Mirror.
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