Cork jury clears William Brennan of assault charges over dispute with brothers

A Cork jury has found William Brennan not guilty of assault causing serious harm and of producing a knife in connection with an incident involving his two brothers in Ballyhalwick, Dunmanway, Co Cork.

The verdicts were returned at Cork Circuit Criminal Court after the jury of eight men and four women deliberated for 90 minutes.

All three verdicts were unanimous.

Brennan had faced two charges of assault causing serious harm against John Brennan Jnr and Jerry Brennan Jnr, as well as a charge of producing a knife at Ballyhalwick on 17 August 2024.

He hugged his senior counsel after being cleared.

The case matters because it resolves a serious criminal trial centred on allegations that Brennan stabbed his brothers after an earlier dispute.

The jury heard evidence about what happened on the day and about later garda interviews.

According to the evidence heard in court, Brennan told gardai that he had been "tortured" by his older brothers and said he acted in self-defence after going to their shared yard.

He said John charged at him from behind and that Jerry punched him repeatedly.

The jury also heard dashcam footage recorded several hours after an excavator Brennan owned had been burned out on the same date.

In that recording, Brennan was heard saying "someone dies today" and "they must be put down".

Brennan denied that those remarks referred to his brothers.

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