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He said he had tried to gain employment as a street hot dog vendor but was refused a license to trade in the city center.

"I did try to start up my own business. The council gave me a license to trade outside Thomond Park and then they banned us from trading there and moved us all down the road... we weren’t making a shilling there,” he said.

"I should be a poster campaign for the council — a man with eight kids, off the dole. I’m costing the state more by being on the dole."

A spokesman for Limerick City Council said it doesn’t comment on individual cases.

Irish Examiner

Shotgun Dad Punished
A MAN who produced his legally-held shotgun in his own home in an attempt to get a man off his premises was given a three-month suspended sentence when he was convicted at Portlaoise District Court of producing an article in the course of a dispute.

Eamon Murphy, 39, of Portlaoise, pleaded guilty to the offense, which occurred at his home on December 19, 2010.

Inspector Jarlath Folan told the court that two men, who had been uninvited, attended a house party that Murphy’s son was holding. Murphy had told the men to leave but one refused to do so and a struggle ensued.

Murphy struck the man in the face with the butt of his gun, causing a ten to 12 centimeter cut to his eyebrow and also breaking the man’s nose.

Defending solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said that her client was not pleading to an assault in this case.

She said Murphy’s son had six or seven friends in his house and they were celebrating his birthday.
She said two individuals who were not invited to the party turned up and were told they were not welcome and were asked to leave.

“The first the defendant knew about the matter was when he came across a young man in his kitchen and he asked him to leave. But he refused. He again instructed the young man to leave but he again refused,” said Fitzpatrick.

“At that point, he asked his son to bring the gun down that was safely locked away. He had intended just to scare the young lad into leaving. It was not loaded and it was broken. The young lad threw a punch and a bit of an altercation took place.

 “We don’t believe that under this act that he committed a criminal act. He felt what he was doing was the only way to get this individual out of his house.”
Judge Catherine Staines said, “These are the kind of cases that end up in the Central Criminal Court.

Presumably, drink was taken on the night. I think the action taken was particularity out of proportion. He wasn’t in any danger.”

She convicted Murphy of the offense and imposed the three-month sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Laois Nationalist

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Nster.com