By Lisa-Anne Crookes
l.crookes@kildarepost.com

A feud between neighbouring builders that climaxed with the midnight sabotage of expensive plant machinery landed two young men in court last week.

The men had been involved in a planned attack on machinery at the ‘super dump’ in Carbury, Kildare in revenge for a previous squabble, the court was told.

Judge David Anderson at Kildare District Court was told that the duo, Liam Gorman (21) of Clonaghadoo, Geashill, Offaly and Gerard Conroy (18) of  Ballymoney, Tullamore Offaly had entered the site in the dead of night and put ‘sugar and peat moss into the engine of a digger.’

“There had been a dispute on site and the action they took was to damage the vehicle belonging to another man,” Garda Diarmuid Daly told the court.

“They told them after they had done it, but it still caused considerable damage and the digger was out of action for a number of months,” Gda. Daly added.

The damage to the digger cost the owners in excess of €3,600 the court was told and both defendants had money in court by way of compensation.

Solicitor for Gorman and Conroy told Judge Anderson that her clients were sorry for their actions and wished to make amends.

“At least they had the good sense to tell the injured party what they had done. They thought it would avoid a lot of the damage by doing that. They have the €3,600 in court by way of compensation,” solicitor, Violet Behan said.

Judge Anderson questioned how much the prank had cost the owner of the digger, who had to hire another machine while it was out of action. An estimate of €16,480 was given in court, but this was rejected by the men’s solicitor as ‘excessive.’

Judge Anderson ordered both men to come up with a further €6,000 before the next court date on 24 April 2008.

“I am not indicating how I intend to deal with it on that date, but I want that money in court,” he said.