THREE PEOPLE WHO traveled from Cork and disrupted a drag story event for children at Tralee library in July last year have each been convicted of public order offences, while two have been handed convictions for common assault.

Judgement was handed down this morning in Tralee. The three had denied all the charges.

Hearings of the case took place in Tralee and Listowel, during which video footage was shown of noisy disruption of the event organised by Kingdom Pride.

Ross Lahive (45), of Church Street, Shandon Street, Cork, had denied assaulting four people, including a library security guard, a woman, a male photographer for the event and another man.

Judge David Waters said he was convicting him on all four assault charges contrary to Section 2 of Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997

“There is clear evidence in relation to all four assaults,” the judge said.

They included barging aside of a young man on door duty, throwing of a man on the ground, twisting the arm of the female and assaulting a photographer, the judge detailed.

Judge Waters said it was “beyond any doubt whatsoever” there was a breach of public order by Lahive, who was an Irish People Party candidate in the Ireland South constituency in the European elections. 

Margo Mills (37), of Carnloch Drive, The Glen, Cork, had denied using threatening and abusive words or behaviour, contrary to Section 6 of The Public Order Act. Mills had also denied assaulting another woman, contrary to Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

Judge Waters said he had no doubt about the threatening and abusive behaviour by Mills and he was also convicting her of assault, though the assault was more a technical matter, he suspected.

A third person, Stephen McGeough (57), of Devonshire Street, Cork, had also denied the use of threatening or insulting words provoking breach of the peace under the Public Order Act. He too was convicted.

All three will be sentenced on Friday after five people give victim impact statements, if they so wish.

Eugene Manley, barrister for the three convicted, said his clients were in shock at the decision to convict.

He was asking that some members of the LGBTQ+ community who turned up in court in Tralee be bound to the peace and he felt at least one woman had used an umbrella as a weapon, not a shield, the barrister said during exchanges with the judge.

However, Judge Waters said if there was an allegation, it was separate and it should be made to the gardaí. He had seen nothing untoward.

Regarding the video of the library event, posted online, Judge Waters said: “The witnesses I viewed remained calm in the face of appalling provocation and behaviour including name-calling, assaults, vitriol and appalling comments.”

The judge also said he was certain what took place was “premeditated.”

They had travelled in a group deliberately to attend the event and to intervene and their behaviour was reckless as to breach of the peace, the judge said.

All five victims of assault were entitled to give victim impact statements, the judge said. Diane Reidy, state solicitor, is to arrange to contact all five in advance of the matter being finalised on Friday.

Manley, defence barrister, said he was sure Lahive, Mills and McGeough were quite shocked at the convictions.

The matter has been adjourned to Friday in Tralee.

In September, the court heard how the event was organised by Kingdom Pride; all performers were garda vetted. The event was disrupted when the protestors “burst” into the room and began live streaming from the event; allegations of grooming were levelled at the organisers by Ross Lahive.

A number of organisers, including a security man, were assaulted, and adult volunteers at the event were called prostitutes, “absolute creatures” and other names by Ross Lahive, it is alleged.

One man was told he had bad breath and that this was because he ate garlic. Children were taken to a corner of the room and organisers used umbrellas to shield them from the proceeding and from being videoed, the court has heard.

In October, at the hearing of the defence in Listowel, Lahive said it was “really inappropriate” for people of the opposite sex to be dressing up and reading homosexual books to children.

He had used “appropriate force” to enter the event room, he said.

It was “unbelievable that there would be people to protect child grooming”, Lahive said. Drag was adult entertainment, it was never used for children, he said.

“It’s traditionally adult entertainment,” he said.

“The real issue here is grooming children” Lahive insisted

Cross examined by Tom Rice, for the DPP, in Listowel, Lahive said grooming was defined as introducing sexual concepts to children.

Rice put it to Lahive that gardaí had vetting procedures “and every single person at the event was garda vetted”. The children were singing a song from Frozen when they arrived, Rice said.

“I believe a lot of people disagree with this type of event. We never had this type of event in Ireland previously,” Lahive replied.

He was there to peacefully protest for the protection of child innocence, McGeough said.

All three have been given legal aid, to include barrister and solicitors.

It is expected that the matter will be finalised on Friday morning.