McMenamin didn’t even issue an apology in court
SICK friends of a thug who attacked a defenceless couple in a food outlet have issued threats against their supporters.
Trolls took to Facebook to defend thug Cillian McMenamin after he was jailed for a year for an outrageous attack on a couple in Dungloe.
McMenamin lashed out at Patrick McKelvey and his wife Sharon as they stopped for something to eat after work in the town in April last year.
They both suffered severe injuries when Mr McKelvey objected to racist abuse being dished out to staff at the Midnight Express outlet.
McMenamin didn’t apologise in court for his behaviour.
And when local people rallied around the McKelveys to give them support in the wake of McMenamin’s conviction, they faced dire abuse – and threats – from his supporters.
“Disapproval of his behavior on the night of the attack on the McKelvey couple as expressed in Facebook comments by local outraged people were answered by Cillian’s support group who wanted to claim that his behaviour could be explained entirely in terms of his addiction problems and lack of experience, in such a way as to convince them of their lack of compassion and understanding,” said one local woman.
“This argument forced them to withdraw their comments. I received a private message informing me of my own family’s shortcomings, and urging me to reconsider my comments, in the light of my own shortcomings, and those of my family.
“It is interesting that Cillian’s support group actually have the power to silence the people who want to publicly disapprove of what he did to the McKelveys, perhaps in the vain hope that if similar attacks happen again in the town, it will be blamed on a misunderstanding of racial points of view, inexperience, and the power of addiction.”
Another supporter of the McKelveys told us: “I was also threatened to withdraw comments in their support. It was just incredible.
“These people are blinded to what happened; it was all ok for them that something like this could happen. It would fit them better to apologise instead of making excuses for this moron.”
McMenamin was jailed for a year by Judge Paul Kelly who described the incident as outrageous.