Kinsale man damaged boat belonging to his former girlfriend’s new partner

A GRAPHIC designer who assaulted a man and damaged his boat in Kinsale because he took up a relationship with his ex-girlfriend has been told by a district court judge that his behaviour was ‘off the scale.’

Joao Tiago Cardosa Santos of 3A Higher O’Connell Street, Kinsale pleaded guilty at Bandon District Court to assault, criminal damage and using or engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

Sgt Tom Mulcahy told the court that on October 16th last at 8.30pm the injured party was standing outside work at Apache Pizza on Pearse Street in Kinsale.

‘He was having a cigarette when the defendant approached him and punched him in the face. He then returned 15 minutes later and taunted the man while inside his workplace. He was shouting abuse at him and gardaí were then called,’ said Sgt Mulcahy.

The injured party lives on a boat which is moored in Kinsale and over €300 worth of damage was caused to it by the defendant, the court heard.

Mr Santos was interviewed by gardaí on October 27th last and made admissions. Judge John King was told that the injured party hasn’t engaged with the gardaí and declined to make a victim impact statement.

He was told that the defendant has one previous conviction for assault in this jurisdiction, while he has a previous for attempted murder in Portugal.

Solicitor Plunkett Taaffe said his client had been in a relationship with a Spanish woman, but it broke up and the injured party then began a relationship with her.

‘He considered it disrespectful and had been discussing it with him. Then he lashed out,’ said Mr Taaffe.

However, Judge King said that seemed at odds with what the gardaí had said, but Mr Taaffe said the CCTV shows the two men in discussion before the assault.

Mr Taaffe said his client then went to the man’s boat and later admitted the criminal damage and assault.

‘But for his admissions, there would have been no way of proving he caused the damage to the boat,’ said Mr Taaffe.

‘He knows he did wrong and apologises for his behaviour. He has €300 in court to compensate for the damage to his boat.’

Judge King directed a probation report be prepared, describing Mr Santos’s behaviour as ‘off the scale’ and remanded him on continuing bail to appear in court on July 20th.