A County Donegal man has admitted guilt in the assault of a young woman in Letterkenny, causing her harm.
Seamus Cooley, a quantity surveyor, entered a guilty plea at Letterkenny Circuit Court for assaulting Shanan Reid McDaid and causing her harm on October 15, 2017, on Castle Street, near Market Square, in Letterkenny.
The 50-year-old, originally from Buncrana, had been held in Castelrea Prison since June 20th due to violating his previous bail terms.
Ms. Reid McDaid (pictured above left after assault) was absent from the court proceedings as she currently resides in Australia.
At the time of the assault, Ms. Reid McDaid was an 18-year-old student in higher education.
The defendant, dressed in a striped shirt and jeans, only spoke to confirm his guilty plea when the charge was presented by the court registrar.
Cooley has been remanded in custody at Castlerea Prison since June 20th, following a breach of his bail conditions discovered at Cavan District Court.
An attempt to secure bail at Letterkenny Circuit Court was rejected by Judge Roderick Maguire.
His legal representative, Mr. Feargal Kavanagh, SC, informed the court that Cooley’s sister, Ms. Sinead Moore, would offer a €1,000 surety and that Cooley was willing to pay €10,000 in compensation to the victim.
Mr. Kavanagh, accompanied by Mr. Pat Sullivan, BL, stated that Cooley has spent 21 days in a “grossly overcrowded” prison and is now confronting the charge, highlighting the cramped prison conditions with up to three inmates per cell.
Mr. Kavanagh requested that legal aid be extended to include a psychiatric evaluation and report for Cooley, asserting that he is not a flight risk and requires “immediate intervention.”
Ms. Fiona Crawford BL, representing the State, noted that Cooley had previously been subject to a bench warrant and that there had been two prior applications to revoke his bail.
During the remand at Cavan Circuit Court, Judge John Aylmer described the accused as having “displayed arrogance” and shown a “flagrant disregard” for his bail terms.
The terms of his bail required Cooley to sign in three times a week at Buncrana Garda Station, but his compliance was only 82%. Cooley informed the Gardai that he was satisfied with his signing-in frequency and would do so when it suited him, citing work commitments throughout the country as a reason it “didn’t suit him some days” to sign on.
Before Judge Maguire, Mr. Kavanagh stated that Cooley now needs professional help and has struggled to cope with the matter. He added that multiple legal teams have been involved in the case.
“He seems to be finally in a position where he is facing up to this issue,” Mr. Kavanagh said. “Putting him into a prison cell with three others and hoping to advance matters is not going to serve justice. He is five years facing trial and the stresses of that alone are not doing him any favours.”
Ms. Crawford emphasized that, having entered a guilty plea, Cooley is no longer presumed innocent.
Mr. Kavanagh argued that his client had attended every court appearance and expressed concern that Cooley’s mental health might worsen.
Judge Maguire pointed out that an affidavit from Garda Neil Kemmy detailed three breaches: providing an inaccurate address to Gardai, failing to sign in as instructed, and interacting with the complainant.
Ms. Moore informed Judge Maguire that her brother had previously seen a psychotherapist and believed he would benefit from mental health support again.
She promised to “do my absolute best” to monitor her brother daily and ensure he adheres to his bail terms. Ms. Moore stated she hasn’t had much contact with her brother lately but added, “I will be involved now. I really will.”
Mr. Kavanagh urged the State not to victimize Cooley through incarceration.
“He knows what he is facing,” Mr. Kavanagh said. “It will make things far more difficult to do justice if he is incarcerated.”
He argued that Cooley’s guilty plea avoided a four- to five-day trial and asked Judge Murphy to impose conditions, accept the surety, and allow Cooley to access the required services.
Judge Maguire approved legal aid for a psychiatrist consultation and report but, given the case history, including Cooley’s breaches of previous bail conditions, denied bail.
Cooley remained in custody and will be sentenced in October.
Man pleads guilty to vicious assault on woman, 18, at Letterkenny’s Market Square was last modified: July 9th, 2025 by
