GAA player cleared of assault charge after being accused of punching team mate

Paul McCann (33), of Tamnaghmore Road near Toomebridge, had been accused of assaulting Tony Scullion at the Cargin GAA grounds on March 9 this year.

Mr McCann denied the allegation and contested the case at Ballymena Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (August 18) which heard Mr Scullion alleged he had been assaulted with a punch to the side of the head.

Mr McCann alleged the claim had been made up by Mr Scullion.

Mr Scullion told the court he had the ball during a “training drill” when he was “punched on the side of the head” by Paul McCann, the brother of his “estranged wife”.

Mr Scullion said his team mate came from his side and punched him with so much force “it put me down to the ground”.

He alleged: “It was a hard punch to cause harm. I was sort of dizzy a bit and when I did come around to my senses I knew that I had been hit.”

Mr Scullion said he was “afraid of further assault” and left as he “didn’t feel safe in that environment”.

Walking back to his home near the ground he said he felt blood coming form his ear and he was in pain and attended hospital.

A defence lawyer said Mr McCann denied punching Mr Scullion and the lawyer said perhaps the injury could have happened “through close physical contact” in training as people get hurt all the time in training.

Mr Scullion replied: “I have been playing club football and inter-county football for a long period of time and never have sustained an injury in the hundreds of training drills”

Mr Scullion denied a defence suggestion the assault allegation was made “purely out of bad blood against Mr McCann and his family”.

He said it was “nothing to do with bad blood, it is merely to do what is right”.

Mr McCann told the court he had not assaulted Mr Scullion.

“I don’t particularly like Mr Scullion, so I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near him,” he said.

Mr McCann said training was split into groups and at no point was he near him.

He said the allegation was “lies, not true, total fabrication”.

He asked: “Why would I hit somebody when I know how much it would do for my job, my mortgage and why would I hit somebody in front of up to 40 people, some of relations of Mr Scullion? I don’t know how he got the injury.”

He said more than 30 people were present at the training.

District Judge Nigel Broderick said Mr Scullion said he was punched by his brother-in-law “with whom he is currently estranged because of a breakdown in the relationship between Mr Scullion and his wife”.

The judge said that was a “double-edged sword” which could give Mr McCann a reason to “exert physical violence on Mr Scullion and equally it could give Mr Scullion a reason to make a false complaint out of some idea of vendetta”.

Judge Broderick said there was strong evidence that Mr Scullion sustained an injury but the question was whether it was by a punch from Mr McCann.

The judge said the defence said it could have been as a result of “close physical contact” at a training session and the accused denied being near Mr Scullion.

He said there although there were many people at the training session the only people giving evidence were Mr McCann and Mr Scullion.

The judge added: “somebody is lying to me”.

Dismissing the charge against Mr McCann, Judge Broderick added: “I don’t think the case has met proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”