Judge seeks references before finalising case against postman who punched man in the head

A postman from Co Cork who admitted punching another man in the head as he sat in his car has had the finalisation of his case adjourned, pending references being provided to the court.

Inspector Stephen Murphy told Youghal District Court that 36-year-old Stephen Kelly of Dermot Hurley Estate, Youghal, Co Cork, was charged with assault arising from an incident that happened on May 31, 2025, on Main Street in the town.

The court was told that Kelly spoke to the injured party in reference to an ongoing dispute between the two men as the injured party drove his car along Main Street at 9.20pm. The injured party parked outside a shop and Kelly approached the car.

The injured party opened the window and Kelly reached in and struck him on the left side of the face. The court heard that Kelly had three previous convictions from 2021, including assault.

Defence solicitor, Vicky Buckley, said Kelly and the injured party had “ongoing issues” but had “sorted them out” since the incident and had been in each other’s company on several occasions without issue.

She said her client apologised to the injured party and the gardaí for his behaviour which amounted to “a rush of blood to the head.” 

She said Kelly’s job with An Post could be at risk if he was convicted of assault and she asked Judge Miriam Walsh to consider not convicting her client. Ms Buckley said Kelly was a person of “good standing” in the local community and was also a valued employee.

Judge Walsh said the injured party also suffered “a rush of blood to the head” when he “got a box to the side of his head”. She said it seemed to be “the same old ding dong” for Kelly who had “benefited from the largesse of the court in 2021”.

She said Kelly’s job must have been at risk in 2021 as well, but he “didn’t learn his lesson”. Judge Kelly adjourned the matter for two weeks to allow for the provision of references from Kelly’s employer before finalisation.