TWO MEN were last night being questioned by gardaí in relation to a public order incident at the entrance to the courthouse in Waterford city.
The incident took place after a judge directed a jury to find a 28-year-old man not guilty of a serious attack with a slash hook.
Michael Delaney (24), Bilberry halting site in the city, told the Circuit Court in Waterford on day one of the trial last week, that he was approached by a gang and struck in the back of a head with a slash hook at a Halloween bonfire in the city three years ago.
Simon Quilligan, of Kilbarry halting site, Waterford, pleaded not guilty to assaulting Mr Delaney, causing him harm and producing a slash hook during an incident at Larchville in Waterford on October 31st, 2007.
He walked free from the court with his arms held aloft yesterday.Gardaí from the armed support unit in Cork and local public order unit members prevented more than 60 Travellers from entering the courthouse on Catherine Street yesterday, which was day three of the trial.
A man in his 40s and a man in his 20s were arrested and held for questioning last night.
About 30 gardaí, some armed with machine guns, patrolled the grounds of the courthouse as Mr Quilligan left the building.
During the trial, Mr Delaney said that he was sitting at a bonfire when he got “a belt of a slash hook to the back of my head”.
The trial heard that a group of between six and 20 people had allegedly attacked Mr Delaney at the bonfire, while he sat with his then girlfriend Lena O’Neill, his brothers and others.
Mr Delaney last week put his hand on the Bible and told the court: “If I don’t get justice here today, justice will be done.”
Judge Tom Teehan instructed the jury to record a verdict of not guilty by direction after Elaine Morgan, defending, made an application regarding inconsistencies in the evidence of some witnesses.
The level of inconsistencies meant that it would be “wholly unsafe” for the jury to bring in a verdict, he said. However, the judge said the accused was free to leave if he undertook to be bound to the peace and be of good behaviour for 10 years.