Father Who Headbutted Rival Over Footballs Faces Serious Consequences

A father who headbutted another father at a GAA ground in a row over missing footballs told gardaí how he had “lost the plot” and “saw red”, a court heard. At Ennis Circuit Court, Maurice Crotty (44) lost his appeal against his District Court conviction for assault on Aidan Fleming in May 2024 at Smith O’Brien’s GAA club in Killaloe, east Co Clare. Tara Godfrey, for Crotty, told the judge how a conviction would prevent Crotty getting security work as he could not obtain a security licence with an assault conviction. The court heard how Crotty, of Millstream, Killaloe, was in line to be employed as an area manager by a Galway security firm next month, but only if he could obtain a security licence. Ms Godfrey said the incident “was completely out of character for Mr Crotty” and he had no previous convictions related to violence. However, Judge Francis Comerford said he could not see any basis for not affirming the order of the District Court as he said Crotty, whatever he might believe about being justified to do so, carried out an unprovoked assault on Mr Fleming in front of children. “Very serious consequences flow from the commission of criminal offences and that is what occurred here – there was a serious criminal offence committed and it was dealt with by the District Court appropriately,” he said. Judge Comerford said he was being asked to find there was no offence committed and he said he could not do that. In a statement to gardaí read out in court by Aisling Casey, the State Solicitor for Clare, Mr Fleming (52) said he was “in shock” after the assault carried out by Crotty on May 29th, 2024. On the evening, Mr Fleming said he was at Smith O’Brien’s GAA’s grounds watching his son’s under-nines training session. Mr Fleming said he had received a phone call from his wife stating that a Maurice Crotty had called to their home looking for him. He said he could see Crotty approaching him in an aggressive manner and he accused him about sending texts about a 12-year-old child known to Crotty taking footballs. He said Crotty then attacked him. Mr Fleming said “as a result of this assault I sustained a cut to my nose. I have a black eye and sore teeth”. “I may be a case of mistaken identity. This incident has caused me and my family great upset as it was an unprovoked attack,” he said. In his statement to gardaí, Crotty said a child known to him was accused of stealing footballs in a neighbouring house estate at Ard na Deirge, Killaloe, the court heard. He said one parent in particular was accusing the child of taking the footballs when in fact the balls were just missing as these were found in a nearby field. Crotty told gardaí the man’s name was Aidan Fleming, the court heard. Crotty alleged to gardaí how Mr Fleming sent emails to a local primary school complaining about the child and had mentioned in a WhatsApp group that the boy was taking footballs and this continued for a few weeks. Crotty said the child was upset by the accusations and gave up hurling over it. Crotty said his wife told him that Mr Fleming approached the boy at the GAA field and told him “go down and find the footballs he stole”. Crotty said he “lost the plot” and went looking for Mr Fleming in his housing estate and then he went to the GAA grounds. He said he approached Mr Fleming at the GAA grounds and asked him why he was sending emails to the school blackening the boy’s name and why was he approaching him accusing him of stealing balls. Crotty said Mr Fleming denied it all. “I saw red at this point and headbutted him in the face,” Crotty said.