Donegal man cleared of assault after jury accepts self‑defence claim

A Donegal man, Owen McDonagh, was acquitted of assault causing harm after a three‑day trial at Letterkenny Circuit Court.

The jury of seven men and five women returned a unanimous not‑guilty verdict in about 40 minutes, accepting the defence that McDonagh acted in self‑defence during an altercation on 28 December 2022 at Castle Park, Letterkenny.

McDonagh, 31, of The Big Isle, Manorcunningham, had been charged under section 3 of the Non‑Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 for allegedly biting a part of Tom Ward’s ear. A separate charge of making a threat to kill was withdrawn during the trial.

His barrister, Brian McCartney SC, argued that Ward had brandished a kitchen knife, prompting McDonagh to defend himself with his fists and bite in response. Ward, now 25, testified that he was protecting his pregnant wife and that he had dropped the knife before being overpowered and bitten.

Following the incident, Gardai and ambulance crews attended the scene and Ward was taken to Galway University Hospital. In a related matter, Ward received a six‑month suspended sentence in 2024 for producing a machete during the same episode.

The court heard that both men belong to the Travelling community and that prior social‑media interactions suggested a personal grudge.

Source: Donegal Daily. Photo: Kristopher Hines / Pexels.