Cork man, 82, pleads guilty to hitting neighbour and striking him with axe handle

An 82-year-old man with no previous convictions of any kind attacked a 76-year-old neighbour by punching and kicking him and striking him with an axe-handle.

Garda Brian Geary testified at Cork Circuit Criminal Court that Thomas Lawley signed a plea of guilty last October to charges of assault causing harm and production of the pickaxe handle during the incident.

Garda Geary said the incident occurred on November 17 2022 at Mount Nagle, Mallow, County Cork – the area where both men were living.

The guard said that when he arrived at the scene he found visible bruising to the 76-year-old man who told him he had been assaulted by his neighbour, Thomas Lawley, who hit him in the arm, leg and knee with an axe-handle. He said the accused struck him with this wooden handle.

“It arose out of a civil dispute. Mr Lawley believes a portion of his neighbour’s land belongs to him but he has no paperwork to support this.

“The 76-year-old injured party declined to make a victim impact statement.

“Mr Lawley was doing up his bungalow and travelling between there and England. He has never come to the attention of gardaí before. It is an old family home. His father previously sold two portions of land to neighours. And there has been an issue about a boundary,” Garda Geary said.

Defence barrister, Brian Leahy, said, “My client is 82. He is a retired gentleman. This is the old family home. He was in the process of doing it up.

“There was an issue about the boundary which got totally out of hand. He was working in the garden on this occasion and he completely over-reacted.” 

Judge Colin Daly said that in view of all the circumstances, a suspended sentence was appropriate. He imposed a suspended one-year sentence on Mr Lawley.