This article gives juicy information on how lawsuit looms as a TV license official got hit by a falling TV from the 3rd floor.
The TV license fee took its toll on one Sandymount local when he dropped his old TV from his third-floor apartment on an unsuspecting TV license enforcer.
Michael Connolly, 38, awaited trial at Dublin’s Four Courts after he dropped his old TV on the TV license man from his third-floor apartment.
Mr Connolly had been dodging paying his €160 a year TV license for more than three years, receiving daily letters with threats of legal action and bailiffs.
The TV license man in question, Terry Vernon, walked away from the ordeal with a broken shoulder and the fright of his life.
- This article gives juicy information on how lawsuit looms as a TV license official got hit by a falling TV from the 3rd floor.
- Lawsuit looms as TV license official hit by falling TV from 3rd floor – what actually happened
- Legal action – currently awaiting trial
- The TV license in Ireland – enacted in 1962
Lawsuit looms as TV license official hit by falling TV from 3rd floor – what actually happened
Last year, on 5 November 2023, Michael Connolly, a Dublin Sandymount native, was taken in by police after he purposefully pushed an old TV out his living room window while the TV license inspector stood below at his front door.
Thankfully, Terry Vernon was able to jump out of the way, and the heavy TV just nicked his shoulder, albeit breaking it.
According to Mr Vernon, Mr Connolly laughed hysterically from his third-floor window as the TV smashed into the concrete below.
As neighbours gathered and gardai were called, Mr Connolly could be heard chanting, “F**k your TV license, shove it where the sun doesn’t shine, ya bleedin’ chancer.”
When two guards arrived at the apartment block, Mr Connolly could be seen mooning from his apartment window.
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Legal action – currently awaiting trial
A broken shoulder and what could have been a lot worse, Mr Vernon decided to press charges against Mr Connolly for the extreme nature of the incident.
“That feckin’ thing could’ve landed on my head; of course I want to see that b*stard go to jail”.
The public response, however, has not been so favourable for Mr Vernon. Instead, people have turned up at the Four Courts with signs and pickets reading, “Justice for Michael Connolly”, “How’s your shoulder, Terry?”, “I’ll keep my €160”, and other unsavoury slogans.
Mr Connolly was due to appear in court on 16 March 2024. When asked to give a statement, he said, “The day before St. Paddy’s, are you f**kin’ serious?”.
“We had people turning up and screaming, “F**k the TV license,” before we could even ask them their names. They were immediately dismissed, of course.
“In the end, we were able to salvage 12 jurors who all have a record of actually paying their TV licenses, but it took almost a month to find them”.
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The TV license in Ireland – enacted in 1962
The TV license in Ireland costs €160 for a year and is collected by An Post. It’s mandatory for any premises with a television, including homes and businesses.
The license was introduced back in 1962 for the establishment of Telefís Éireann, which is now RTÉ.
With the extreme nature of this case, where judges and court officials said Mr Connolly could have killed Mr Vernon, there have been frantic calls to change TV license regulations in Ireland.
One member of the public said, “It needs to be scrapped before someone gets seriously hurt”. Meanwhile, defenders of the license say that people should be able to fork out the money without causing grievous bodily harm to people who are just doing their jobs.
Mr Connolly was given up to five years in Mountjoy and a €10,000 fine for damages. However, a GoFundMe was created by the public, and the money was raised for the fine and then some within the hour.
When we spoke to him from his Sandymount apartment on a Thursday after the event, he was under house arrest awaiting trial; he said he had never been asked on so many dates in his life.
“My Tinder profile has blown up since all this happened. Maybe I should drop TVs on unsuspecting officials more often”, he said as we could hear chants of “We love Michael” from fans outside.
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