Two banned from Letterkenny park by Judge following melee

A young man and a juvenile boy have been handed suspended sentences after a melee in the Bernard McGlinchey Town Park in Letterkenny.

Milan Sidelka was handed a six-month suspended sentence for his part in the incident on April 2, 2022 during which he brandished a metal bar.

A second person, a boy who was a young teenager at the time of the incident and is still under 18, was placed under probation supervision orders in lieu of periods of detention.

The duo, who appeared at Letterkenny District Court, were also banned from entering the Town Park by Judge Ciaran Liddy.

Sidelka, a 24-year-old of Manor View Park, Letterkenny, was charged with assaulting two men and causing them harm, contrary to section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.

Sidelka was also charged with producing an article capable of inflicting serious injury, namely a metal bar, an offence contrary to section 11 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990.

The juvenile boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with assaulting a man and causing him harm during the same incident.

The juvenile was also charged with assaulting a member of An Garda Siochana while the officer was attending to a matter in January, 2024.

The incident in the Town Park was captured on CCTV at the time and solicitor Mr Rory O’Brien, representing both accused, said there was “no excuse, condoning or justifying” of the incidents.

Mr O’Brien said that two groups of young people gathered separately in the park and another matter “sparked” this incident.
“It was obviously unacceptable, it was inappropriate and it was unlawful,” Mr O’Brien said.

Mr O’Brien said that there had been a “significant number” of cross-allegations in relation to the matter.

He said the incident was some time ago and there had been no further difficulties since. The solicitor told the court that the incident lasted around one minute and “wasn’t prolonged”.

Mr O’Brien said that a second charge for Sidelka occurred when “the tussle was ongoing”.

“It is little excuse, but just some context,” said Mr O’Brien, noting that the injured party had “got the better” of his client at the time.

Mr O’Brien said that the incident relating to the juvenile defendant “should never have occurred”.

He said the boy went with a negative peer group and that the teenager wished to offer a “full and wholesome apology”

Mr O’Brien said that his client has lacked structured activities and has a history of substance abuse. He has engaged in disruptive behaviour and has had excessive alcohol use alongside a negative peer group – “a negative cocktail for any young person,” the solicitor remarked.

Mr O’Brien said he struggled to recall someone of such a young being brought before the court in Donegal for an offence.

Mr O’Brien told the court that there is light at the end of the tunnel as the boy has engaged well with the Probation Service, who said he was suitable to go under their supervision. The Probation Service, in a report opened to the court, said that the boy would benefit from ongoing support to address his difficulties.

In sentencing Sidelka, Judge Liddy said that a custodial sentence was appropriate.

He sentenced Sidelka to six months in prison on each of the assaults. However, noting that he came before the court without any previous convictions and had pleaded guilty at the earliest stage – alleviating the need for victims to come to give evidence – he suspended the entirety of the sentence for a period of two years.

The sentence was suspended on condition that Sidelka remain sober and free of intoxicants. Judge Liddy also ordered that he stay out of the Bernard McGlinchey Town Park.

The juvenile was placed under a supervision order in lieu of a six-month detention order in respect of the assault at the Town Park in 2022.

For the assault on the Garda in 2024, a supervision order was also imposed in lieu of a six-month detention order.

The youngest of the accused also faced a charge over the unauthorised use of a vehicle, which was marked as taken into consideration by the court.

He too was told to remain out of Bernard McGlinchey Town Park.

A third person, Mary Theresa Mongan (21) of Meadowbank Park, was previously dealt with by way of the Probation Act having been charged with a section 2 assault in relation to the Town Park incident.

Two banned from Letterkenny park by Judge following melee was last modified: November 29th, 2025 by Staff Writer