A west Clare woman covered her boyfriend “head to toe” in paint and also damaged his car and his sister’s car with the same beige paint on Christmas morning in a row sparked by repeated egg throwing incidents at the woman’s home.
At Ennis District Court, Garda Kevin Duffy told the court that he saw Patrick Hurley was standing at the front door of the Hurley home “covered head to toe in paint” when he received a call to the go to the home in the west Clare village of Miltown Malbay on Christmas morning 2022.
Garda Duffy said that Mr Hurley’s car was also “covered in paint”.
Garda Duffy said that Mr Hurley said that it was his girl-friend, Noelle Walsh (47) of The Square, Milltown Malbay who threw the paint.
Judge Alec Gabbett remarked: “I don’t know why Patrick Hurley ended up with a lick of paint.”
In evidence, Ms Walsh told the court: “It was 7.30 Christmas morning. I was out of my mind. My house had been damaged three times by eggs. I had been physically assaulted by Caitriona Hurley, violently, and I was out of my mind, I shouldn’t have done it. That is the truth.”
Garda Duffy said: “At around breakfast-time, Patrick Hurley had been standing at the front door having a cup of tea and a cigarette and Ms Walsh was gone from the scene when I had arrived.”
Garda Duffy said that while at the scene he was made aware of an another criminal damage incident at the Ballard Rd, Milltown Malbay home of Mr Hurley’s sister, Cathriona (35) where he found that her car had also been damaged with beige paint.
Garda Duffy said that the word ‘c**t’ was also gouged onto the boot of the Ms Hurley’s car on December 24th.
Judge Gabbett described a €8,334 bill for the damage to Ms Hurley’s car presentd to court as “off the wall – that is over-egging the omelette. The car is a write off. I don’t believe for a minute the damage cost that much.”
Later on Christmas morning, Garda Duffy said that he entered the home of Ms Walsh and found her upstairs asleep in her bedroom wearing a pair of beige boots, leggings and a top all covered with beige paint.
After her arrest and subsequent interview at Kilrush Garda Station on Christmas Day, Ms Walsh, represented by solicitor, Stiofan Fitzpatrick, admitted to the criminal damage. Garda Duffy said that Patrick Hurley made no complaint against Ms Walsh.
The criminal damage offences by Ms Walsh came around 12 hours after she arrived at the Hurley family home at around 6.30pm on Christmas Eve to complain about her house being egged once more.
Ms Walsh and Ms Hurley had both denied assault charges against each other from the altercation at the Hurley home on December 24th 2022 and Judge Alec Gabbett found both guilty of the minor Section 2 assaults.
Ms Hurley said that the Hurleys had been watching The Chase and keeping an eye on the Christmas Day turkey cooking when Ms Walsh barged in.
In evidence, Ms Walsh said her house had been egged three times in a month and a half.
She said: “I was frightened. It was more than one egg. The house was destroyed. It was my Dad’s house and he had died during Covid.”
She said that Ms Hurley’s daughter had owned up to throwing eggs at her home and when her house was egged again on Christmas Eve 2022, she suspected Ms Hurley’s daughter.
Solicitor for Ms Hurley, Daragh Hassett said that Ms Walsh “wrongly believed” that Ms Hurley’s daughter had egged her home on Christmas Eve.
Mr Hassett said that Ms Hurley’s daughter had been formally reprimanded by Gardai for the egging prior to December 24th 2022 and he said that the girl’s actions had been unacceptable.
Ms Walsh said that sh phoned Gardai to make a complaint about the Christmas Eve egg attack on her home and then went to the Hurley home at Lis Ni Sli, Milltown Malbay.
Ms Walsh said that her partner, Patrick was at the Hurley home when she called and she said on arrival there that Ms Hurley’s daughter “is running around the streets throwing eggs again”.
Ms Walsh alleged that during the altercation, Cathriona Hurley assaulted her “and I was left with a black eye” and bruising.
Mr Hassett put it to Ms Walsh that she called Ms Hurley “a knacker, a tramp and a prostitute” and Ms Walsh said: “I was wrong to call her names.”
Asked about keying the word ‘C**t into Cathriona Hurley’s car, Ms Walsh replied: “I don’t recall that.”
In evidence, Ms Hurley said that her daughter told her that she had nothing to do with the egg attack on Ms Walsh’s home on Christmas Eve.
Judge Gabbett adjourned sentencing to January 8th to allow Probation Reports be provided to court on both Ms Walsh and Ms Hurley.
Judge Gabbett said: “I am concerned about the future here. Patrick Hurley has been gone from the court for the last hour. Cleary he is in a difficult spot.”
“I don’t know if the relationship is still on. Mr Hurley and Ms Walsh were sitting together at the start and I presume the relationship still exists and all of these parties in the case have to live together”.
