A MAN who had identified to Gardaí a group of men allegedly involved in ramming him and a horse-drawn sulky cart off a roadway, and attacking him with implements on the side of the road four years ago, told a court today (Tuesday) that he had identified “the wrong men”.
Darren Wallace (37), of Kishyquirk, Ballysimon, County Limerick, giving evidence on the first day of the trial of two Limerick brothers, Vincent Collopy and Jonathan Collopy, told the court that he “could not remember” who attacked him on the day in question.
The trial at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard Mr Wallace had previously made a statement, during a video-recorded interview with Gardaí, in which he identified the driver of an SUV that he alleged rammed him and his sulky cart off the road. He also told Gardaí that two identified men had “beaten” him with “a hurley” and “a stick” immediately following the ramming.
When prosecution counsel for the State, John O’Sullivan BL, asked Mr Wallace to tell the jury who his attackers were, Mr Wallace replied: “I made a mistake at the time, I blamed the wrong men.”
Mr Wallace told the court that he along with his nephew, Jamie Wallace, and others, had been exercising horses on three sulky carts on a public roadway at Sandy Lane in Boher, County Limerick, on April 7, 2020, when his cart was rammed from behind by an SUV and pushed off the roadway and into a dike.
He told the court his horse ended up in the dike and two men got out of the vehicle and started to beat him with a hurley and a stick.
He said he did not know why the attack happened and that he suffered injuries to his head and body.
Photographs of bruising and marks to Mr Wallace’s body, including a photograph of medical stitches in his head, were shown to the jury.
When asked by Mr O’Sullivan to tell the jury who had inflicted his injuries, Mr Wallace replied: “I don’t know.”
A jury of seven men and five women was sworn in to hear the case on Monday of this week (January 29).
The State has alleged that Vincent Collopy (44), with an address at St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick City, drove an SUV into Mr Wallace’s cart, ramming it off the road, and that Vincent Collopy assaulted Mr Wallace causing him harm.
The State has also alleged Vincent Collopy assaulted Jamie Wallace at the scene.
Vincent Collopy has pleaded not guilty to all four charges against him, which include one count of endangerment, one count of dangerous driving, one count of assault causing harm, and one count of assault.
His sibling, Jonathan Collopy (37), with an address at St Senan’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick City, has denied all two charges against him, which include one count of assaulting Darren Wallace causing him harm, and one count of producing an offensive weapon, namely a stick, during the alleged incident.
The trial continues tomorrow (Wednesday, January 31).
