Modern day Viking repelled invader to his Ardglass home

Modern day Viking repelled invader to his Ardglass home

12 June 2013

A MASKED robber with a baseball bat was foiled by his Viking staff wielding victim, a court has heard.

Conor Carey (23), of Strangford Road, Ardglass, called at the house of his neighbour John Rodgers, a Viking enthusiast, in the early hours of November 24 last year.

Carey demanded his car keys but Mr. Rodgers refused to hand them over and instead chased him up the street with the large ornamental staff.

A fight ensued with Carey being struck several times before police, called by Mr. Rodgers’ wife, arrived.

Following a two week trial at Downpatrick Crown Court Carey was found guilty of three offences — attempted robbery, having an offensive weapon and making a threat to kill. He was found not guilty of aggravated burglary with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The defendant had denied any wrongdoing to police, claiming he was going round to talk to Mr. Rodgers on the night of the incident. He said he wasn’t masked, but simply wearing a scarf, and carried a baseball tucked into his trousers due to threats from paramilitaries.

Giving evidence, Mr. Rodgers, chairman of Ardglass Vikings, told the court he was in bed with his partner when they heard a loud crash downstairs at about 5.30am.

He said his partner noticed someone at the side of the property who then returned to the front door. He said the front door was lying open and the Viking staff had been removed from its stand and used to smash the inner door.

“This guy was standing at the door with a mask,” said Mr. Rodgers. “I asked him what did he want. He said ‘I want the keys to your car’. I said you’re not getting them.”

Referring to the fight which then proceeded up the street, the retired teacher said: “He came at me with the bat, he was obviously going to hit me. I defended myself with the staff by poking at him... He said in the course of this fight ‘I should have stabbed you when I was leaning over you in your bed’. I did not think that was true. I was shocked, it was a nasty thing to say, but I did not think he had been looking over us at the bed.”

Mr. Rodgers said Carey couldn’t get at him as he was “swiping” him away and at one stage the baseball bat was knocked out of his hand.

He said towards the end of the incident Carey accused him of “slabbering down the pub”. “At that stage I had a good idea who it was,” he added.

Mr. Rodgers told the court he had been previously assaulted after complaining about the noise at a nearby party, and had been talking about this in a local pub.

Defence barrister Conor O’Kane suggested Mr. Rodgers couldn’t remember what had happened on the night of November 24 because he had been drinking, and also could not remember previous run-ins with Conor Carey.

He said Carey had been up late playing on his Xbox and saw Mr. Rodgers’ light on and decided to go over and discuss any misunderstandings. He said Carey had a scarf up round his face because it was a cold winter evening.

Mr. O’Kane also pointed out that crime scene investigators had not recorded the damage.

“The motivation of Mr. Rodgers and his partner was not to tell the truth but to embellish,” he said.

Mr. O’Kane also presented a doctor’s letter indicating Carey had told his doctor he carried a weapon to protect himself.

Claiming his client was only “guilty of stupidity” in going round to the house, he described the incident as a “glorified neighbours’ dispute” that got out of hand.

“This man could easily have got the better of Mr. Rodgers,” he said of Carey, who he claimed was a former boxer. “Not once, not once did he hit Mr. Rodgers though he had ample opportunity,” said Mr. O’Kane.

Summing up, prosecuting barrister David McDowell said the defence had thrown “any old mud hoping it will stick”.

“The defendant is clearly lying on a number of matters.... presenting himself as the victim not the perpetrator,” he said.

“Is he the sort of person who if he arrived at your door in the middle of the night with a baseball bat you would take him in for a chat?”

Mr. McDowell also suggested Carey could not have overcome his victim. “He could not have had Mr Rodgers and thankfully he did not have Mr Rodgers,” he said.

Judge David Smyth QC told the jury when they returned with their decision: “I completely agree with your verdicts.”

Judge Smyth said probation, mental health, and victim impact reports should be prepared in advance of sentencing on July 2.