Man told to pay €2,000 after producing wrench during McDonald’s row in Letterkenny

A young man who produced a wrench during a row outside McDonalds in Letterkenny has been ordered to pay his victims €2,000.

Darragh Murphy was before Letterkenny District Court charged with producing an article during the course of a dispute at Neil T Blaney Road.

The 20-year-old had pleaded to the incident which took place on March 10, 2024.

A previous court sitting heard how Murphy, of Cloncarney, Trentagh, was a passenger in a car outside McDonalds at approximately 7.30pm.

A row began between the occupants of the car Murphy was in and the occupants or another car nearby.

“There was a bit of history between both parties,” Sergeant Collins said.

Murphy got out of the car with a wrench, stood three feet away from the other car and left the occupants of the other car very frightened, the court was told.

Other people arrived and Murphy and another co-accused fled the scene.

Solicitor for the accused, Mr Michael Shiel, said his client did not bring the tool to the incident but that he found it in the footwell of the passenger seat and only took it out of the car “for his own protection” during the row.

Mr Shiel added “He tells me he had no intention whatsoever of using the bar and didn’t threaten either of the injured parties with the bar.

“He has held his hands up and admitted he had the bar but had no intention of using it.”

Judge Emile Daly had told Mr Shiel that she wanted Murphy to be creative with his compensation offer to his two victims.

Mr Shiel told the adjourned court sitting that he did not believe the two victims had made victim impacts statements but was corrected by Judge Daly who said they had and that they read very well.

Mr Shiel said his client was not now working as he had been laid off but that, together with his father, he had raised €700 to offer the victims by way of compensation.

However, Judge Daly said the accused needed to reflect on the impact his actions have had and revise the offer of that compensation upwards saying the sum of €700 was not enough for what had happened.

She added that this may have been a fleeting event but it did not have a fleeting impact (on the victims).

Mr Shiel asked for an adjournment of two to three months.

Judge Daly said that she suggested compensation of not less than €2,000 which could be 'split' between both victims or added that "unless he wants it dealt with in a different way and that's fine by me."

The case was adjourned until May 18 to allow for the compensation to be paid.