Jailed for assault on Blacklion lady

A Roscommon man has been sentenced to six months when he was convicted at Ballyconnell District Court of assaulting a woman who was out walking her dog in April of last year. Joseph Linnane (48), Eenagh, Croghan, was sentenced for assaulting Margaret McGovern at Toam, Blacklion, on April 29, 2009. He was given a concurrent three month term for using or engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour at Kiltaglassan, Blacklion, on the same occasion. Two charges of being intoxicated on the same date were taken into account. The defendant was remanded on bail to Carrick-on-Shannon court on February 17 charged with damaging a glass panel door at Macnadilla, Croghan, Carrick-on-Shannon, on September 8, 2008, the property of Daniel Ewing. Margaret McGovern said she was out walking her dog in the village of Blacklion when the defendant passed her on the footpath. As he did so, he kicked her dog and the dog started crying. She said to the defendant: "How dare you kick my dog." He started to shout and jump up and down, the witness told the court. Ms. McGovern crossed to the other side of the road but the defendant followed her. He then hit her with his clenched fist to the head and kicked her on the thigh. The defendant then dropped cigarettes and when he went to pick them up, witness signalled an oncoming van to stop. While the defendant was talking to the driver, she made her way to the station and told them what happened. Cross-examined by Damien Rudden, solicitor defending, Ms. McGovern denied that her dog bit the defendant. He followed her over to the other side of the road. The dog was on a lead and if he bit anyone she would have him put down. Giving evidence in the case, Sean Flanagan said he worked in Loughan House prison and he got a phone call from an off-duty colleague asking if anyone was missing from the prison because he had witnessed a man behaving in a threatening manner. They just had a roll call and there was no one missing. Mr. Flanagan told the court that he later got into his car and met a man walking in the middle of the road. He knew the man to be Joseph Linnane from Roscommon. Mr. Linnane was very aggressive and drunk. Witness met the person who made the phone call earlier and he said that was the man who had threatened him. Joseph Linnane said he had been in Belcoo and was heading for Blacklion. He didn't see Ms. McGovern but heard a dog bark and it was beside him. The dog was not under control. It was a terrier and it bit him on the leg. At no stage did he hit Ms. McGovern or cross over to the other side of the road. Replying to Superintendent Brian Brunton, Mr. Linnane, who had 32 previous convictions, said he had three pints of Guinness to drink that day. Judge Sean MacBride said he was satisfied that Ms. McGovern was assaulted on the occasion by the defendant. "This type of barbaric behaviour would not be accepted in any civil society." He didn't believe a word from the defendant and Judge MacBride described him as a "hoaxster" and a "trickster". The defendant had chosen to fight the case and made Ms. McGovern relive her ordeal. "You are nothing but a bully."