Limerick man convicted for brawl in sit-down city coffee shop

A MAN has been convicted in Limerick District Court for his part in a confrontation at a Costa Coffee shop.

Dean Casey, also known as Dean Martin Casey, 24, with an address at Clonlong Halting Site, Galvone, Limerick, punched a man at Costa Coffee on the Childers Road, Singland, on November 12, 2025.

Sergeant Aisling O’Neill said that the Armed Support Unit were nearby and flagged down when a group of males were fighting in the coffee shop.

The sergeant said there were three or four men involved in the fighting in Costa, and that two men had their clothing ripped during the confrontation.

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Solicitor Tom Kiely said that CCTV footage shows that his client was “peripherally involved” in the incident, however, “he did run around”, and things “escalated”.

“You’ve seen the CCTV footage, it speaks for itself”, said Mr Kiely. It was further stated that Mr Casey threw “a single punch” during the brawl.

The court heard that Mr Casey has 23 previous convictions, including the possession of an imitation firearm, a section six public order offence, two section four thefts and a number of road traffic offences.

Mr Casey’s most recent conviction was in February 2025 for theft, Sergeant O’Neill detailed.

Judge Harney commented that the incident occurred in "a sit-down" venue. 

In a plea of mitigation, Mr Kiely told the judge that this is Mr Casey’s “first time in custody”. He asked Judge Harney for leniency.

The judge noted Mr Casey’s “relatively early guilty plea”, and said that he was “one of the less culpable people in this matter”.

Judge Harney proceeded to convict and sentence Mr Casey to four week’s imprisonment for violent disorder, which was backdated to when he first entered custody.

-Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme