Stag night visitor to Kilkenny acted ‘appallingly’ - substantial financial penalty imposed in court

A visitor to Kilkenny who committed a number of offences was ordered to make a donation of €800 to the Court Poor Box.

Conor McKenna, 2 Ranoghan Lane, Maghera, Derry, Northern Ireland, appeared before Kilkenny District Court where he pleaded guilty to a charge of assault and two charges of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour.

The court heard that on February 1, 2024, Mr McKenna had been out socialising in Kilkenny, at a stag party.
The first charge of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour occurred in a bar where he called the woman serving a ‘southern c***.’

He left the premises and then tried to get back in. When entry was refused Mr McKenna threw a headbutt and threw a punch at the security guard. The man suffered bruising but no other injuries.

The defendant was also charged with using threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour outside the bar, on RoseInn Street.
Mr McKenna did not remember anything the next day. He was very apologetic.

Solicitor Alex Rafter said his client was ‘deeply apologetic’.
Mc McKenna had been drinking, he said, and was planning to return to Derry the next day as a close friend had died.

Mr Rafter told the court his client’s next port of call after the court would be the bar from the night of the incident, to apologise there.
The solicitor admitted his client’s behaviour was ‘not good enough’ and said he had ‘acted appallingly’.

Mr McKenna is 36 and the father of two children.
It has come to light he may have a problem with alcohol and he is going to ‘cut the drinking’.

Mr Rafter said it was noted that no one else on the stag had intervened with his client, that they had been appalled by his behaviour too.

The solicitor appealed to Judge Geraldine Carthy to give Mr McKenna credit for how he dealt with the matter.
His client had brought €800 to court to offer as compensation or to the Court Poor Box, whichever the court decided.
Judge Carthy ordered Mr McKenna to make the €800 contribution to the Court Poor Box as penalty.