A JURY is back before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court this Tuesday morning (February 6) to continue its deliberations on charges against two brothers accused of ramming a sulky driver off a roadway and assaulting him.
The two accused, Vincent Collopy and Jonathan Collopy, deny all charges against them.
Vincent Collopy (44) is accused of one count of endangerment, contrary to section 13 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, that he drove a Audi Q7 SUV into a sulky cart from behind, forcing it and its driver, Darren Wallace, off a roadway at or near Sandy Lane, Boher, County Limerick, on April 7, 2020.
Vincent Collopy, with an address at St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, in Limerick City, is also charged with assault causing harm to Darren Wallace arising out of the alleged incident.
The State has alleged that Jonathan Collopy (37), of St Senan’s Street, St Mary’s Park, was a front-seat passenger in the SUV during the ramming incident and that he sprung from the vechicle and beat Mr Wallace with a stick.
Jonathan Collopy is accused of one count of assault causing harm to Mr Wallace and one count of producing an offensive weapon, namely a stick, during the course of the alleged attack.
After a week-long trial, Judge Tom O’Donnell directed the jury to find Vincent Collopy not guilty of two further charges, including one count of dangerous driving, and one count of assault on Jamie Wallace, a nephew of Darren Wallace, at the same location on the same date.
Jamie Wallace told the trial he couldn’t remember making a statement to Gardaí the day after the alleged ramming incident, nor could he remember the alleged ramming incident taking place. He said he was also unable to tell the court his date of birth because he couldn’t remember it.
Darren Wallace, who is the prosecution’s central witness, told the court that he had made “a mistake” when he told Gardaí afterwards that the two accused brothers were involved in the alleged incident.
A video recording of Darren Wallace’s victim statement to the Gardaí, recorded on the day after the alleged ramming, was played during the trial.
During the recording, Darren Wallace identifies Vincent Collopy as the driver of the SUV and identifies Jonathan Collopy as a man who leapt from the vehicle and beat him with a stick.
The jury retired last Friday and has been deliberating for almost two hours.
More to follow…
