Councillor Sean McEniff transferred to Sligo Regional Hospital

 
 

Final submissions have started in a case in which a former town Councillor is accused of assaulting a Garda, and her husband and son face public order charges.
Judge Paul Kelly is hearing submissions today at a special sitting of Ballyshannon District Court in a hearing in which he previously ruled that Ireland’s longest-serving serving politician is far too ill to give evidence in the case.
81-year-old Donegal county councillor Sean McEniff, who has been 55 years in local representative politics, is in intensive care in Sligo University Hospital.
He was recently transferred there from Mater Private Hospital in Dublin where he was treated following an accident in Gran Canaria in October.
The judge accepted medical evidence at earlier hearings that Mr McEniff would never be able to give evidence to standards required by a court of law.
The defence had been seeking him to give evidence in the witness box, but rejected the offer from the court of a statement made by Mr McEniff to gardai.
Former Bundoran Town Councillor Florence McNulty, 56, of The Palace, Main Street, Bundoran, has denied assaulting Garda Helen Munnelly outside Bundoran council offices on February 10, 2014.
Her son Joseph McNulty, 34, of Doran Close, Bundoran, and her husband Thomas McNulty, 57, of Main Street, Bundoran, have denied abusive or insulting behaviour on the same date.
In his brief summary, prosecuting Supt Colm Nevin said gardai identified in very strong evidence Florence McNulty assaulting Gda Helen Munnelly and CCTV evidence showed roaring and shouting and interference with gardai.
Defence counsel Johnnie McCoy submitted his clients were prejudiced by the unavailability of Mc McEniff to give evidence. He was central to what happened.
Mr McCoy argued that video evidence from Patricia McCafferty showed the shouting came from a different area to where Thomas and Joseph McNulty were standing.