Man accused of threatening neighbour says he told him ‘to smile’

A 67-year-old Co Clare man told gardaí he never threatened to kill his neighbour, but instead asked him to smile.

At Ennis Circuit Court yesterday, evidence was heard that retired Department of Agriculture officer Martin McLaughlin denied threatening to kill neighbour Ray Crowley (41) on September 24th, 2011.

In a Garda interview, Garda Barry O’Grady put it to the married father of seven that he was cutting trees and hedges at the front of the Crowley property and Mr Crowley asked him to stop.

Mr McLaughlin replied, “He didn’t say anything to me. He did not tell me to stop. He took my picture and went away. I was only cutting briars.”

Mr O’Grady put it to Mr McLaughlin that he told Mr Crowley, “F***k off now or I will kill you.” Mr McLaughlin responded,“No, I told him to smile and I was surprised that he had come back out to see me.”

Harassment denied

In the case, Mr McLaughlin denies threatening to kill Mr Crowley on two occasions, on March 19th, 2010 and September 24th, 2011.

Both Mr McLaughlin and his wife, Ann (65) of Barefield, Ennis, also deny harassing Mr Crowley and his wife Patrizia over six years from October 1st, 2006 to March 31st, 2012.

Earlier yesterday, electrician John Murphy told the jury that he was at the Crowley home on September 24th, 2011, and heard Mr McLaughlin say to Mr Crowley, "I'll kill you, I'll kill you."

Mr McLaughlin also denied threatening to kill Mr Crowley on March 19th, 2010. On the day, Mr McLaughlin said he did not tell Mr Crowley, “I will get my lads to beat . . . you and bury you in that f***ing wall.”

Pipe smashed

Mr McLaughlin said he had a pipe running through the Crowley land and it was smashed when Mr Crowley was building his home, leaving the McLaughlins without any water for two days. He said, “I made no issue of it.”

He denied to Mr O’Grady that he had been harassing Mr Crowley and his family, saying, “I am disappointed about the allegations being made against me.”

He told the garda, “I cut his boundary. I didn’t have permission but I saw no badness in it, I did all the neighbours’.”

In her Garda interview, Ann McLaughlin said she felt intimidated by the CCTV cameras on the laneway near her home. She said, “I have never shouted obscenities at anyone. I have a totally clean record and I have never did anything to anyone.”

The trial continues on Tuesday.