Farmer who threw cow dung at former minister Anne Rabbitte avoids jail
Judge Individual' Spirited 22 Baldwin Was Munity Said Press Picture: 'a Joseph
The south Galway farmer who threw a bag on cow dung in the direction of then junior minister Anne Rabbitte at a public meeting has avoided a jail term for the assault.
At Ennis District Court on Tuesday, Judge Alec Gabbett convicted Joseph Baldwin and ordered him to complete 60 hours of community service in lieu of a three-month prison term for the assault on Ms Rabbitte at a public meeting at O’Sullivan’s Hotel in Gort on January 3, 2023.
At the time, Ms Rabbitte — who lost her seat in the general election — was a Galway East TD and disability minister.
Ms Rabbitte did not attend Tuesday's sentencing hearing in Ennis and Judge Gabbett imposed the sanction after describing Mr Baldwin in court as “a community spirited individual”.
Judge Gabbett made his comment after a probation report concluded Mr Baldwin, 39, of Ballyaneen, Gort, was at very low risk of re-offending and reading the contents of three testimonials handed into court, including one from Anne Rabbitte’s Fianna Fáil party colleague, Cllr Gerry Finnerty.
Commenting on the incident at the public meeting, Judge Gabbett told the court “the footage doesn’t lie”.
“It just can’t happen again, simple as that. That kind of behaviour is not acceptable at a public meeting and not acceptable for public representatives to endure that type of behaviour no matter who they are or what they are."
Judge Gabbett said the Section 2 assault was "at the lower end".
Solicitor for Mr Baldwin, Daragh Hassett, said: “Mr Baldwin said that he was sorry for what he had done, had never set out to harm anyone and it was his way of protesting."
Mr Baldwin was attending the public meeting in Gort in January 2023 against a planned biogas plant for the town and Mr Hassett said “the whole issue of biogas plants has got traction and they will not be an easy sell for the new government — there is huge opposition to them around the country”.