A 28-year-old man called a security guard at a shop in Bantry a paedophile and threatened to put him ‘through a wall’, a court heard.

John Delaney (28) gave an undertaking to do 80 hours community service in lieu of three months imprisonment for assault.

Colette McCarthy, solicitor, said the defendant, of the Halting Site at Reenrour West, Bantry, was pleading guilty to assaulting the security man at the SuperValu supermarket at 2pm on January 24th 2025.

The solicitor said he was also pleading guilty to a public order offence of engaging in threatening or abusive words or behaviour on the same date. ‘His seven-year-old came home crying saying the security man had pushed her out of the shop, but CCTV showed that that never happened,’ Ms McCarthy stated at Bantry District Court.

‘My client went up to the shop and was angry. He accused the security man of man-handling his child,’ said Ms McCarthy who did concede that her client ‘threw a shape’ of a headbutt.

‘He didn’t wish to make any physical contact but his actions did instil that physical misapprehension,’ she said.

After this incident, the solicitor said the two men shook hands and her client said he would stay away from the shop.

‘He has not returned since this incident, last January, and will stay out of it,’ she added.

Sgt Tom Mulcahy said that John Delaney was verbally abusive to the security man. It was alleged that he called him ‘a paedophile’ and threatening to ‘put his head through a wall’.

The sergeant said the accused, who has 28 previous convictions, moved into the security man’s space and went as if to headbutt him.

Judge Joanne Carroll said she would deal with the case by instructing the accused to do 80 hours community service in lieu of three-months imprisonment on the assault charge.

‘He clearly lost his temper on the day. He went too far. He could have gone up and discussed it with the man,’ she said.

On the public order charge, Judge Carroll ordered the accused to enter into a probation bond to keep the peace.

Two conditions were attached to the bond: one that he stays out of the SuperValu supermarket in Bantry for a period of three years. And two, that he completes an anger management course.

‘The security guard is entitled to go to work without fearing intimidation,’ said the judge.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.