Man charged with assault causing harm after father found dead on Waterford farm

Olivia Kelleher

A 45-year-old man has been charged with assault causing harm to his father, who was found dead at his home in Waterford on Monday evening.

Emergency services were called to the farm of John Cashman Snr (73) at Rockfield House, Cappagh, about six kilometres northwest of Dungarvan on Monday evening.

The pensioner was found injured and unresponsive. A local doctor pronounced him dead at the scene.

John Cashman Jnr, who resides in an apartment on the family farm in Rockfield, appeared before a sitting of Carrick on Suir District Court in Co Tipperary this afternoon, charged with assault causing harm to his father.

The alleged offence is contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.

Evidence of arrest, charge and caution was given by Det Garda Martin Keohane of Dungarvan Garda Station. He said that he arrested Cashman at 6:10pm on Tuesday.

He stated that Cashman made no reply when the charge was put to him after caution at 9:18pm on Tuesday.

Gardaí lodged an objection to bail. Keohane told the court that further serious charges could follow. The results of the postmortem examination on the deceased are awaited.

The garda also spoke of the gravity of the alleged offence.

He expressed concern about possible witness intimidation. He added that he feared that the accused could opt to leave the jurisdiction if granted bail in the case.

Defence solicitor Eamonn Hayes made a bail application. He said that his client was willing to abide by stringent bail applications.

Hayes said that Cashman Jnr called both gardaí and the emergency services to the farm on Monday night.

The court heard that Cashman Jnr told gardaí that he acted in self-defence, having been confronted by his father. He denies kicking his father in the head while he was on the ground.

The accused also went into the witness box and gave an undertaking that he would comply with bail conditions set down by the court.

He said that he was willing to surrender his passport and would not apply for further travel documents. Cashman Jnr also gave an undertaking not to have any contact with any alleged witness in the case.

Cashman Jnr said that he moved back to the family farm from the UK in 2021 and set up a very successful business restoring vintage farm machinery

He said that he had not spoken to his father for years. Since his return to Ireland, he has paid rent on his apartment on the farm to his mother.

Judge John O’Leary was told by the defence that Gillian Cashman, the mother of the accused, was willing to provide surety in the case.

She is also prepared to have him reside in his apartment at the farm.

She also told the judge that her son was a man of integrity. She expressed her full confidence that he would comply with any bail conditions imposed by the court.

O’Leary declined to grant bail in the case. Cashman Jnr was remanded in custody to appear before Clonmel District Court on April 21st next.

Meanwhile, the emergency services attended at the scene in Cappagh on Monday.

The body of the pensioner was taken to the morgue at University Hospital Waterford in Ardkeen for a postmortem examination.

Gardaí preserved the scene to allow for a forensic examination of the property. An incident room was set up at Dungarvan Garda Station.

The deceased was a well-known farmer who ran as an Independent candidate for Waterford County Council several years ago.