Six years in jail after court hears of threat to 'kneecap' Offaly man

A MAN was jailed for six years after Tullamore Circuit Court heard he had demanded money from another man and threatened to break his legs with a steel bat.

Judge Keenan Johnson handed the sentence down to Callan Ward (31), Kilcruttin Halting Site, Tullamore, who had absconded during a trial where he was found guilty of false imprisonment, production of a baseball bat and demanding money with menaces.

The offences all took place on February 19, 2022 at Kilcruttin Halting Site where the victim, John Murphy, had gone to get heroin.

In a sentencing hearing, Judge Johnson said the victim had been lured to ride on a motorbike by Mr Ward and when Mr Murphy fell off it the accused man demanded €500 for alleged damage.

Judge Johnson described what Mr Ward had done as “manipulative” and “callous” and also noted that in addition to leaving Ireland and going to Manchester during the trial he had breached the terms of four suspended sentences.

Mr Ward had denied committing the offences at the halting site and was on bail during the five-day trial in October but left during it and was found guilty in his absence.

Judge Johnson outlined that when Mr Murphy arrived at the halting site Mr Ward was riding a motorbike and asked the victim if he'd like to do the same.

Mr Murphy did so and the bike had only moved a couple of feet when the man fell off and hurt his leg, whereupon Mr Ward accused him of breaking the bike.

He was told that unless he gave €500 he would not leave the site alive and Mr Ward then got a rusty bar and told the other man he'd be going nowhere unless he got the money.

When Mr Murphy's wife Martina McCarthy Murphy rang she was told she had “24 minutes to get the money” and Mr Ward said he was “starting with the ankles” and asked his son to go and get a steel baseball bat.

“I'll have you in Beaumont or leave you dead unless you have the money down here,” Judge Johnson said Mr Ward told the victim.

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Mr Ward was holding the bat over his right shoulder and there were children around during the incident, which lasted about 30 minutes.

The court heard he also told the man's wife: “You'll be visiting him in Beaumont or a graveyard.”

Mr Murphy was released when his nephew arrived with €500.

Sums of cash, €3,500, €1,000 and about another €1,000 were seized by gardai from Mr Ward's property.

The judge detailed that Mrs Murphy had said she got a “knot in her stomach” when Mr Ward made a number of phone calls to her after her husband had left their house that afternoon.

In a phone conversation she was told to “get €500 down to the site now” and that her husband was going to be kneecapped.

Judge Johnson said both Mr and Mrs Murphy wanted to withdraw statements they made to gardai at the trial and the victim said he was “high” at the time. The judge noted that gardai had said the man was sober.

The couple said things had been settled between the parties but the statements, which Judge Johnson said were “cogent and consistent”, were admitted in evidence for the trial.

The judge said the court was concerned that such an effort was made to get the statements withdrawn.

There were no victim impact statements for the court but Judge Johnson said the incident must have been extremely frightening for the victim.

Mr Ward had 20 previous convictions for serious offences, among them rape, assault causing harm, making a threat to kill, affray and production of a billhook and an iron bar in a dispute.

A married man with five children, the judge noted a letter from his wife Stacey in which she said he was a good husband and father. They had two sons with ADHD.

A letter was also handed in from one of Mr Callan's sons and it outlined how he wished his father could be present for his first boxing fight and the court was also told the accused man helped at home bringing children to soccer and boxing training.

Mr Ward had said he left the trial because his daughter had broken a collar bone and his family needed help.

The man had a City & Guilds certificate for tree felling and he planned to set up his own business.

The court also heard Mr Ward had sustained a knee injury while on a skiing holiday in Bulgaria in January 2024 and would need surgery. He had no issues with drink or drugs.

The maximum sentence for false imprisonment is life and Judge Johnson ranked Mr Ward's offending at “the middle of the mid range” which would attract a sentence of seven-and-a-half years.

He reduced that to six years with mitigation but activated a two-year sentence which had previously been imposed on the man.

The judge suspended the final year of that sentence for three years. The six-year sentence was also backdated to when Mr Ward went into custody on February 14.

Mr Ward must keep the peace and have no contact with the victim.

The money seized by the gardai is to be given to the accused's wife, apart from €500 which the court ordered be given to the victim.