A 25-YEAR-OLD Shannon man who survived an attempt on his life escaped jail after he told a judge he was carrying around a Stanley knife for his own protection.
At Kilrush District Court, Judge Alec Gabbett told Danny Harty Jnr, of Inis Eagla, Shannon, County Clare, that he was “within a hair’s breadth of going to jail’ before imposing a suspended two-month prison term for the unlawful possession of the Stanley knife at Tullyvarraga, Shannon, on April 8.
After Judge Gabbett imposed the suspended prison term, Mr Harty said to Judge Gabbett: “Can I say one thing before I go – thank you very much.”
“You are the nicest judge I have come across and I appreciate that.”
Mr Harty told Judge Gabbett that he was carrying around the knife “because I was scared”.
His solicitor, Stiofan Fitzpatrick, said that Mr Harty was the victim of a shooting, to which Judge Gabbett remarked that Mr Harty was the man “who hid behind the wall in Sixmilebridge when the gun went ‘yak, yak, yak’”.
“Aren’t you lucky you got behind the wall?” he said.
At the Central Criminal Court last October, Tony McInerney (28), formerly of Glenina, Gort Road, Ennis, County Clare, was sentenced to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to the attempted murder of Mr Harty at Pound Street, Sixmilebridge on January 18, 2020, over an alleged drug debt.
The Central Criminal Court heard “wild west stuff” had happened that night in Sixmilebridge, with people hiding behind walls and cars.
Concerning the knife charge, Mr Fitzpatrick said that “it wasn’t that Mr Harty was out in public and he was wielding this knife or in pursuit of anyone – it was for his own protection”.
Mr Harty pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of the knife and to being drunk in a public place.
Judge Gabbett said that he was concerned over the drunk in a public place charge and Mr Fitzpatrick said that his client has been approved for admission to a treatment centre.
