Father of 12 drove car at man in Dundalk housing estate

A father of 12 who was involved in a violent disorder incident in a local housing estate during which he drove his car at another man, and other participants threw petrol bombs, was jailed for 15 months at Dundalk Circuit Court last week.

Arthur McGinley (39) with addresses at Palmerstown Lodge, Palmerstown, Dublin 20 and St. Mary's Street, Newry pleaded guilty to affray and endangerment at Cherryvale, Bay Estate, Dundalk on May 15th 2020.

One of the victims was cutting his hedge at his home when the defendant and another man exited a vehicle.

Arthur McGinley had a machete in his hand but the man fended him off with an electric hedge strimmer and the pair left - hitting a pillar before driving off.

They returned two hours later around 6pm, and the defendant used his car to hit the man.

Two front windows of his home were put in and the windows on his Transit van were also broken.

They shouted at his brother in law that they were going to kill him, and two younger men who were with them lit Corona bottles and threw them at him, but they were put out with water.

One of the victims sustained a graze to his shoulder and a mark on his left shin, while the other had a cut to back of his shoulder.

Forensic tests found petrol vapour in the beer bottles.

Judge Dara Hayes was told last Thursday that peace has broken out and the other parties didn't want the case to proceed.

Arthur McGinley was extradited from the UK in October 2024 and spent two months on remand before then.

He had 52 previous convictions, including assault causing actual bodily harm, affray and possession of a knife from Liverpool Crown Court in 2023, which arose from a dispute with a family member about whether his father should have a traditional burial.

Judge Dara Hayes heard he was assessed as being at high risk of reoffending and was extremely ashamed of his actions and had downplayed them to his Probation Officer as he didn't really want to admit them.

The judge imposed concurrent sentences of two years and nine months, with the final 18 months suspended, backdated to December 26th last to allow for time spent in custody.