A man who claimed to Gardaí that he was ‘defending’ himself after getting into a fight outside a pub with another man was recently handed a fine.
Mounir Khateeb (35) of Apartment 1, 67 O’Connell Street, Waterford, appeared before Judge John Cheatle at a sitting of Waterford District Court in April, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of affray, contrary to Section 16 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act.
Sergeant Michael Hickey told the court that during the afternoon of 28 April 2025, Gardaí received a report of a fight between two men outside the former Wetherspoons pub at Arundel Square, Waterford city. The fight was subsequently broken up, and the accused was identified as being involved from CCTV footage, Sgt. Hickey said.
It was noted in court that the accused has no previous convictions and was co-operative with Gardaí. The other man involved in the incident was not identified.
CCTV footage of the incident was played on a phone and shown to Judge Cheatle, but not played to the court.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham highlighted that his client was the only person identified from the incident, and that he gave a full account to Gardaí when interviewed.
Mr. Cunningham added that the accused was with friends on the day, when the other person involved, who had previously insulted the accused’s deceased mother, came up and asked to speak to him. A fight then broke out, and the solicitor said his client admitted punching the man, saying to Gardaí: “He hit me, I was only defending myself.”
The accused’s friends split up the two men, and he was checked over at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) following the incident, Mr. Cunningham said.
The solicitor concluded by highlighting to the court that his client “got the harder of two outcomes” and asked if the matter could be adjourned for a period of review, as the accused has come to no adverse Garda attention since the incident last year.
Judge Cheatle noted that from viewing the footage, it looked like the accused was the ‘instigator.’
The judge decided to hand the accused a €500 fine for the matter. Recognisance was fixed in the event of an appeal.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
