Digger bucket row sees brothers jailed

Dungannon District Judge John Meehan described the assault carried out by Bertie and Richard McAllister as “brutal and sustained” after they attacked a former employee in a field close to their homes on the Knockaleery Road, Cookstown.

East Tyrone Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday how the attack took place in the afternoon of July 13th last after the brothers spotted the injured party working on land just off the rural road.

A PPS solicitor said the victim heard one of the men shout: “There’s the b****** we are looking for there!” before he was attacked.

The injured party received a number of punches and kicks to his body before asking the brothers why they were attacking him.

He said that one of the McAllister’s replied: “You know what this is about. You telling lies about a digger bucket.”

The assault only stopped when a third party stepped in to break it up, according to a statement from the injured party.

Both men were arrested and and initially denied the attack, stating to police that there had only been a verbal altercation.

A defence lawyer for Richard McAllister told the court that the incident happened after both men had sold a digger to the injured party’s friend.

In the days following the sale, the solicitor claimed that an allegation of “some sort of fraud” had been made regarding the digger’s bucket.

They blamed the injured party n the untrue allegation and confronted him.

“The matter was dealt with in an atrocious way,” added the barrister.

A defence barrister for Bertie McAllister described the attack as “ absolutely inexcusable”, adding that his client held a clear criminal record.

Sentencing the pair, District Judge John Meehan described the attack as “brutal” and “sustained” and was carried out in a way to intimidate the injured party, who had previously worked for the men.

“This was bosses acting with a 17th Century attitude - he was yours and yours to be beaten,” said the judge.

Adding that the men had shown no “real” remorse, Judge Meehan sentenced each to two months imprisonment.