A JURY HAS found a 46-year-old Ennis carpenter who inflicted “a horrendous beating” with a claw hammer on a ‘keyboard warrior’ guilty of assault causing harm and aggravated burglary.

At Ennis Circuit Court on Friday, the jury delivered a unanimous verdict to find Alan Mounsey guilty of the assault causing harm of Aaron Moloney in front of his two girls aged 12 and 10 at the Moloney home at Cluain Ard, Clarecastle, Ennis on 22 February 2025.

After three hours and three minutes of deliberations, the jury also found Mr Mounsey of Bishop’s Court, Ennis guilty of aggravated burglary at the Moloney home on the same date where he was accused of entering the building as a trespasser and had a claw hammer in his possession.

Mr Mounsey carried out the assault on Mr Moloney after the victim sent “vile and disgusting” threatening messages about the carpenter’s fiancé and their unborn child.

There was no State application for a remand in custody for Mr Mounsey pending sentence but Mr Mounsey decided to surrender his bail.

Judge Francis Comerford adjourned the case for one hour to allow Mr Mounsey go home to pack his bag for prison and Mr Mounsey returned to court where Judge Comerford remanded him in custody to be sentenced later this year.

Judge Comerford directed a victim impact statement from Mr Moloney in the case.

In her closing speech on Thursday, counsel for the State, Sarah-Jane Comerford BL said that a “hot headed” Alan Mounsey “took the law into his own hands” when striking an intoxicated Aaron Moloney in front of his two girls with the claw hammer across the head, shoulder and legs.

As a result of the assault, Ms Comerford said that Mr Moloney suffered two broken ribs, a punctured lung and a fractured knee cap from the claw hammer assault.

Ms Comerford said that Mr Moloney told the jury that Mr Mounsey had tried to kneecap him with the hammer.

Ms Comerford said that Mr Moloney told the court that after being assaulted, Mr Mounsey filmed him and forced him to apologise to Mr Mounsey’s partner on video.

Ms Comerford said that Mr Mounsey recorded Mr Moloney “to make sure that the humiliation and the assault had the desired effect”.

She said that Mr Mounsey restored his phone to factory settings and effectively wiped the phone after the assault.

Ms Comerford told the jury that the defence of self-defence or lawful use of force is not available to Mr Mounsey “as the level of force used was brutal and way above reasonably necessary”.

She said that Mr Mounsey inflicted “a horrendous beating” on Mr Moloney.

Ms Comerford (instructed by State Solicitor for Clare, Aisling Casey) said that the jury might feel disgusted by the messages sent by keyboard warrior, Mr Moloney, who she said, was an addict at the time who had taken Xanax tablets and alcohol while caring for his young girls.

Ms Comerford said that Mr Moloney said in evidence that he wasn’t proud of the messages “but I didn’t deserve this”.

On behalf of Mr Mounsey, Patrick Whyms BL said that Mr Mounsey’s partner was terrified by the messages sent by Mr Moloney “where he had made the most awful, vile, abusive, disgusting threats” against her and her unborn child.

Mr Whyms said that the unborn child “was threatened with violent death by a man who was clearly off his head”.

Mr Whyms (instructed by solicitor Tara Godfrey) said that Mr Mounsey’s partner “turned to him in her hour of genuine terror” over the messages received from Mr Moloney.

Mr Whyms said that it was not the most prudent thing for Mr Mounsey to go to Mr Moloney’s house, but it was Mr Moloney who had sought out Mr Mounsey with the messages.

Mr Whyms said that Mr Mounsey did not take the law into his own hands “and is not a vigilante”.

Mr Whyms said that Mr Moloney had gone out of his way to goad Mr Mounsey.

Mr Whyms said that an altercation occurred, and the details are in dispute.

In evidence, Mr Mounsey told the court that he did not have a hammer and when he came to the door of the Moloney house it was Mr Moloney who had the hammer, and he struck Mr Mounsey twice with a hammer and then threatened to attack him with a knife.

Ms Comerford said that Mr Mounsey had concocted a story at the 11th hour to tell to the court.

Judge Comerford adjourned the case to 31 July to fix a date for sentence later in the year.