This is the Cork farmer with a history of violence who has been jailed for punching a Department of Agriculture official in the face because he didn’t want him on his land.
Andrew Scannell (64), who previously told the Sunday World he was “not a violent man”, carried out the attack on agricultural officer Jerry Herlihy last October — almost a year after receiving a suspended sentence for a separate vicious attack on a female veterinary inspector who was carrying out another inspection on his land.
In the latest incident on October 28 last year, Scannell — of Lackaneen, Lissacreasig, Macroom, Co Cork — approached Mr Herlihy and started “shouting aggressively” at him, stating that he had no authority to be on his land before punching him in the face with a closed fist.
Scannell tried to hit him a second time but Mr Herlihy bravely managed to grab his attacker’s arm and restrain him for about 20 minutes before gardaí arrived.
The court heard that Mr Herlihy suffered injuries to his right cheek and eye socket and had a partial black eye as a result of the assault, but there was no permanent damage.
Mr Herlihy had been visiting Scannell’s farm for the previous two weeks in an official capacity as he had been tasked with getting his cattle into a manageable state as they were effectively wild and hadn’t been tested for TB in three years.
Neighbour Frank Sweeney, who witnessed the assault, said Scannell was “ranting and raving” and “not really making much sense”.
Scannell’s farm at Lackaneen, Lissacressig, Co Cork
He told how Scannell hit Mr Herlihy in the face “without warning” after which the Dept of Agriculture official “wrestled” his attacker to some nearby bales of hay in the fear he would be struck again.
Mr Sweeney then called gardaí at Mr Herlihy’s request. He added: “I thought the whole thing was preposterous.”
When gardaí arrived, Scannell said: “I don’t deny assaulting him.”
Scannell, who has 34 previous convictions for assault, animal welfare offences and road traffic matters, was jailed for eight months for the attack last week.
The incident was very similar to another frightening attack on a female veterinary inspector in October 2021.
During that incident, Scannell grabbed inspector Maria Wall by the hair, threw her on the ground and slapped her face a number of times while shouting at her to get off his property when she arrived to carry out an inspection on his land.
The Sunday World subsequently called to Scannell’s land to quiz him on his motive for carrying out such a horrific attack on a femal official.
Despite the fact that by the time we visited his farm Scannell had already pleaded guilty to carrying out the attack on Ms Wall, he bizarrely and falsely claimed he didn’t carry out the assault.
Scannell told the Sunday World he was not a violent man despite leaving his victim covered in bruises and needing counselling.
“I didn’t assault her. I didn’t tell her to get out at all. I just told her ‘look, please leave’. I didn’t force her either. I just escorted her down the road and opened the gate and told her to go.”
Despite his false claims, Ms Wall was left with a number of injuries including bruising to the right side of her face, her back and hip and the court heard she was receiving counselling over the attack.
Scannell spent a number of days in prison on remand in February 2022, when Judge Helen Boyle said: “I am not entirely convinced this man does not need to learn a lesson about attacking people going about their job.”
He was later given a suspended sentence.
While out on bail, he dismissed the severity of the incident to our reporter.
“It’s a nonsensical case. It’s overrated. I didn’t assault her. She had been outside my house previously.
“It was a nonsensical thing. You’d think I had robbed an old lady, which I wouldn’t do, or beat up a woman.”
