Road rage doctor (74) in the dock again over unconnected alleged assault charge

A 74-year-old GP who pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour in a road rage incident is facing a separate and unconnected charge of assaulting a man.

Portlaoise-based doctor Annette Brennan appeared before Portlaoise District Court on Thursday where she was due to be sentenced over her behaviour at the Gandon Inn in Cappakeel on December 4, 2021 following a car accident.

However, solicitor Philip Meagher, acting on behalf of Brennan, informed Judge Andrew Cody that Brennan had appeared before the court earlier this week on a charge relating to a separate alleged incident dating from February 2023.

The charge arising from that incident is one of having assaulted Shane Costello, contrary to section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, at Lake Road, Graigueaverne, Ballybrittas on February 23 last year.

Mr Meagher said the matter relating to the assault charge had been put back for finalisation to a sitting on May 14.

Asked by Judge Cody whether the incidents were connected, Mr Meagher responded that they weren’t but they both involved ‘similar behaviour.’

Mr Meagher also submitted that a psychiatric report had been prepared for consideration in the matter.

Asked by Judge Cody whether a video recording of the incident at the Gandon Inn had been played during previous court proceedings, Mr Meagher indicated it had not.

Noting that the guilty plea to the charge of engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour had been entered before Judge Shalom Binchy, Judge Cody agreed to put the public order charge back to May 14 for finalisation on the same day the assault matter is to be heard.

When the road rage matter originally came before the court, Judge Binchy heard Brennan had also been charged with an assault on motorist Richard Robinson in addition to the public order charge.

The charge was contrary to Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.

Appearing on behalf of Brennan on that occasion, solicitor Philip Meagher said there was a plea in respect of the section 6 public order charge and, on that basis, the State had agreed to withdraw the section 2 assault charge. Sgt Michael Tarpey for the prosecution confirmed this to be the case.

A video of the incident at the Gandon Inn circulated widely on social media in the wake of the incident. In it, Brennan can be seen waving her finger in the other driver’s face and shouting: “F**k, f**k, f**k,” as he appeals to her: “Please step back from my vehicle.”

Closing the door of a vehicle, Brennan then approaches the driver saying: “Do you think I’m going to f**king step away from you.

“You f**k off! You f**k off!”

The other driver responds: “I’m telling you now … I’m asking you to step away. Step away from me!”

As the other driver finishes the last part of that sentence, Brennan begins a phone call to the local garda station in a more reasonable voice.

“Hello. This is Dr Annette Brennan,” she says. “I would be grateful if you could send gardaí here.”

As Brennan is talking on the phone, a bystander asks if there is a child ‘in there’ [in the man’s car], to which he responds: “Yes, there is a child in there …

“She crashed into my car and there’s a child in the car and she’s talking to me like that.”

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