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Louth man (46) assaulted bus driver after getting on board with ‘wrong travel pass’

Judge McKiernan imposed a €200 fine for the assault

Tue 17 Oct 2023 at 09:40

A 46-year-old man who assaulted a bus driver as he and other passengers were being collected has been fined.

Gerard Reynolds, The Cottage, Chapel Road, Clogherhead, pleaded guilty to summonses for assault and for engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour or words following the incident which occurred at Chapel Road, Callystown, on 14 January 2023.

Court presenter Sgt John O’Hehir told the district on Monday that passengers were being collected when the defendant got on board the Bus Éireann bus with the ‘wrong travel pass’.

When the driver confiscated it, Mr Reynolds started ‘grabbing’ at him. There were no physical injuries.

Details were given of 15 previous convictions, most for road traffic matters.

Solicitor Paddy Goodwin submitted it was a ‘technical assault’, more ‘pushing and grabbing’. There was no violence used.

This was out of character for his client who hadn’t taken his medication that morning. He had offered an apology to the bus driver.

Judge McKiernan imposed a €200 fine for the assault. The Section 6 Public Order summons was taken into consideration.