Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Man feared hypothermia as he fled naked across seaside resort after being found in bed with other man's fiancée – court

A Kilrush man has told a court that he thought he had hypothermia as he fled naked across the seaside resort of Kilkee on a freezing night to his granny’s house after being found in bed with another man’s fiancée.

At Ennis Circuit Court today, James Bracken (29) stated that he thought Noel McGreene (37) was going to kill him on February 12th 2017.

During the assault, Mr McGreene struck Mr Bracken across the head with a bottle of Bailey’s after finding him naked in his bed with his fiancée at his Kilkee home at 6 Cluain Na Mara at around 4am after returning home.

Today, Mr McGreene walked free from court after Judge Gerald Keys imposed a suspended six month prison term for the assault after stating that there was “a high degree of provocation in the case”.

Mr McGreene had pleaded guilty to assault causing harm of Mr Bracken on the night.

Before imposing the suspended jail term, Judge Keys told Mr McGreene that he was also “impressed by the evidence of the Garda to your character”.

Judge Keys stated that he has been told that Mr McGreene “is well regarded in the area and that the local community has goodwill towards you”.

Judge Keys stated that he has been told that Mr McGreene “is a hard working and decent man and is not a violent man”.

Mr Bracken was in court today with his mother and he stated in his victim impact statement that he can’t trust women anymore over what happened.

In the hand written victim impact statement read out in court by counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly BL, Mr Bracken told the court that he thought Mr McGreene was going to kill him on the night.

He stated: “I was hit repeatedly on my head and my face with a bottle of Baileys.

“I was thrown down a flight of stairs from the top to the bottom. I got stitches and staples to my wounds on my head.”

He added: “I really thought he was going to kill me. I ran from the house naked and bleeding from my head and eye.”

He further added: “I was running trying to get away from him. I was terrified and ran. I kept falling and staggering and having to stop as I had lost a lot of blood and felt really weak.

He went on: “It was freezing and I thought I had hypothermia.”

He stated: “The only place I had to go to safety was at my 80 year old grand-mother’s house.

He stated: “She was very shaken after seeing the state I was in and to this day, she worries and stresses about me if I go out anywhere.”

Mr Bracken stated that if he sees Noel McGreene anywhere he feels worried and uneasy.

He stated: “Since the attack, I have had to change my hair to cover the scars for fear of being misjudged as a violent person.”

He stated: “I don’t trust people very easily anymore especially women and I haven’t had a relationship since as I just can’t trust them.”

Counsel for Mr McGreene, Brian McInerney BL stated that there is no suggestion that Mr McGreene pursed Mr Bracken around Kilkee.

He added: “The concept of Mr Bracken not trusting women anymore – how that can be visited upon my client I just don’t know.”

He stated: “He may have had a bad experience with women or one other woman in particular.”

In imposing the suspended jail term, Judge Keys stated that he was also mindful that the DPP had recommended that the assault charge could have been heard in the district court.

Mr McInerney told the court that Mr McGreene “found himself unexpectedly confronted with circumstances that no red blooded man would wish to be confronted with”.

He stated: “Mr McGreene accepts that he over-reacted because he pleads guilty to a crime. He picked up the Bailey’s bottle and he ejected Mr Bracken from the premises in fairly short order.”

Judge Keyes stated that the female declined to provide a statement concerning the incident.

Mr McInerney told the court earlier this week: “Mr Bracken knew Mr McGreene over a long period of time and knew the lady in question. Mr Bracken formed a view that they weren’t in a relationship at that point in time.”

Judge Keys also imposed a suspended two year jail term on Mr McGreene over pleading guilty to a separate charge of possession of €3,230 worth of cannabis for the purposes of selling at Skenhanagh, Clarecastle on November 24th 2017.

Judge Keys stated that he was taking into account the time served in jail since October by Mr McGreene.

Mr McGreene said ‘thanks Judge’ and then left the courtroom today with two other males who were there to support him.

Mr Bracken declined to comment after leaving court.

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