Man, 45, pleads guilty to assaulting Roderic O’Gorman during election canvass

A man has pleaded guilty to assaulting Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman while he was on an election canvass.

Karl Ronan, 45, of Erris Square, Waterville in Blanchardstown, appeared before Blanchardstown District Court on Monday.

Ronan has been charged with assaulting Mr O’Gorman, using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to provoke a breach of the peace and damaging a clipboard belonging to the minister.

Garda Joseph Rogers gave evidence of Ronan’s arrest, charge and caution. He said that Ronan made no reply when the charges were put to him.

Defence solicitor Tertius Van Eeden said that his client was pleading guilty to all three charges.

District Judge David McHugh told the court that a “major complication” in accepting the plea of the defendant was that Mr O’Gorman had a right to be informed about the proceedings and had not been given the opportunity to address the court.

Judge McHugh said that Mr O’Gorman would have to be contacted and asked if he wanted to address the court or write a letter about the incident, which would be considered by the court.

He told the court he would put the case back a few weeks to allow the minister to be contacted.

Garda Rogers said there was no objection to bail, but asked for a number of conditions.

The judge granted the accused bail on his own bond of 100 euro.

He told Mr Van Eeden to reiterate to his client the terms of the bail and warned that they were to be “interpreted strictly” and any breach would “put his liberty at issue”.

An application for legal aid was refused.

The case will return to Blanchardstown District Court on December 17.