A local Government representative has expressed that she felt endangered among those who had elected her, in an event where she was assaulted with a bag filled with cow dung. Speaking in Ennis’ Gort District Court, Anne Rabbitte, Deputy and Minister of State beholding portfolios in the Health Department and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth in East Galway, couldn’t hold back tears while testifying.
Rabbitte disclosed to the court that she was specifically targeted by Joseph Baldwin during a crowded public gathering discussing a proposed biogas plant in Gort, which took place in O’Sullivan’s Royal Hotel, Gort on 4th January 2023.
“No sense of safety, I felt danger looming in a public area amid the locals who brought me to power,” stated Rabbitte. She explained her predicament as becoming the most insecure individual in the room and added that she didn’t feel any sense of protection or safety.
Inquiring as to why she opted to report the occurrence to the local police following the meeting, Rabbitte explained, “There’s a boundary, and it was breached that evening. None stepped forward to defend me, hence I had to do so myself.”
Joseph Baldwin (39), a farmer of Ballyaneen, Gort from South Galway, stands accused of assaulting Anne Rabbitte in a public gathering on 4th January 2023, contradicting Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. Baldwin denies these allegations.
While narrating the incident, Rabbitte claimed to have seen a man hurling a bag with an unidentified substance towards her constituency colleague, Ciarán Cannon (FG). The CCTV footage produced in the court displayed Baldwin proclaiming, “here is a bag of cow shite for you,” before throwing it towards Deputy Cannon.
Post highlighting Cannon’s situation, Rabbitte recalled her reaction: “Jesus. God help us. What is after happening to Ciarán? How will he recover from that one?”
The CCTV footage then revealed Baldwin directing and flinging a bag towards Rabbitte. An onlooker recounted the bag containing “a green liquid substance.” Rabbitte concluded her testimony by stating the man “was incredibly angry, his face was red.”
In her recollection, she remarked: “I cannot erase the man’s eyes from my memory.” Minister Rabbitte recounted an instance where the man told her: “You are not forgotten, Rabbitte, there’s a package for you too,” before purportedly throwing a bag in her direction. Once the thrown object landed near her feet, Rabbitte conveyed her feeling of uncertainty as to whether her knees would buckle. An onlooker gathered the object and declared it a bag of excrement. She wanted to shriek with indignation, as no one acknowledged the wrongness of the occurrence.
However, Daragh Hassett, Mr Baldwin’s lawyer, refuted these claims. Hassett, citing evidence from eight on-site witnesses who had given statements to the local police, stated that Mr Baldwin’s thrown bag did not make contact with Ms Rabbitte. Hassett pointed out a contradiction in Rabbitte’s testimony, indicating that although she originally confirmed to the police that the bag had struck her torso, she later stated that it only made her feel assaulted. After listening to the Minister’s statement, Mr Hassett labelled her an “untrustworthy historian.” He further described her immediate testimony as “highly emotional.”
Adding to his defense, Hassett called her initial police statement, alluding to being hit by the bag, “false and misleading” especially upon reviewing the CCTV footage showing no such contact. Hassett maintained: “This does not constitute an assault.” The legal proceedings are currently ongoing.