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news
Inner tubeCyclist fined after threatening to stab Halfords worker in puncture repair row
A Dublin cyclist has been fined for causing a breach of the peace at a branch of Halfords after he threatened to stab a sales assistant during an argument the cost of replacing an inner tube.
Laurence Maguire, aged 62, had gone to the store at Malahide Road Business Park in Coolock in the Irish capital's Northside after the tyre on his bike’s rear wheel punctured, reports Independent.ie.
The Halfords employee told Dublin District Court that Maguire became angry when he was told it would cost €9.99 (£8.26) to replace the inner tube.
It is unclear whether that reflected just the price of the inner tube or the cost of fitting it, or both.
The sales assistant said: "He started shouting at me that he was going to stab me and bring his friends to the store.
"We couldn't calm him down. He became louder and more violent."
Store staff called the gardai [police] who said that Maguire continued to swear at them and at Halfords employees outside the store.
Maguire had pleaded not guilty, although his solicitor said that he accepted he had used “certain words” that he now regretted.
He added that his client was sorry for how he spoke to the sales assistant, which he said was because he felt his consumer rights were being infringed.
Judge Cormac Dunne imposed a €400 fine on Maguire and said he had inflicted "gratuitous and unjustified abuse" on the shop’s workers.
The judge said he believed Maguire has "some anger management problem."
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- David9694 2 sec ago
Designed in Minecraft
- Ratfink 9 min 5 sec ago
Fully agree with this,Surely Road cc should try and contact the councillor for clarification and also the ORAA for where they get their facts from...
- Andrewbanshee 33 min 13 sec ago
I was both a BC and CUK member for years, wanting to support UK cycling as much as possible. I was an amateur racer too but even back at the...
- David9694 1 hour 36 min ago
"Do you want me to wash it for you?" "can you do me a blowout?"* * Yeah ok I looked that one up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hairstyles
- Rendel Harris 1 hour 37 min ago
Of course not! I will be chasing up after Christmas, no point in doing so now as they will just point to "hopefully" and "in December".
- wtjs 1 hour 47 min ago
YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE, A RED LIGHT MEANS STOP...
- HKR 1 hour 49 min ago
Yes it's all very expensive. However, the article seems to suggest you get the saddle. a fit with Phil Burt, and possibly a check later - which if...
- David9694 1 hour 50 min ago
Another one for "great time saver you've got there":...
- hawkinspeter 11 hours 33 min ago
They most certainly do "separate like that"....
- Secret_squirrel 17 hours 19 min ago
Thanks Neil!
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27 comments
I was once called that 'deaf cunt' once in a store but company policy stipulated that it was fair and that as a hearing impaired person I 'was not the type of customer we would to see in our store'. This was Virgin Media but I do wonder about company policy sometimes but threatening to stab someone over what I can see as a roughly reasonable price is excessive.
Why didn't he just do the tyre himself or get Halfords to show him how to do it. That could have been an interesting exchange if you think about it.
Dublin, eh?
Reassuring to hear that people are pretty much the same everywhere! I was concerned that all the deranged,inexplicably angry people in the world lived in my neighbourhood, but now I can rest a bit easier!
(Its not _really_ a cycling story though, is it?)
Surely they could have found a better...... solution......
Headline should be 'angry nutter can ride bike'
Its the weekly "Random Nutter on Bicycle" story...
Move along.
To be honest, every time I go to halfords I want to stab them in the face
Insatead of moaning about the staff in there, just avoid the place. Simple. I rarely go there, but their sales are usually quite good, especially for clothes. Yes, you're not going to buy a Dura Ace chainset in there but just search out the bargains.
Quiet cycling-related news day.
Elementary, Watson....
He ought to try and patch things up.......
Hmm I wonder if they managed to get the tyre and tube on in the right order...
Yes , working in the retail environment can be "challenging" anyone can come through the doors, and many feel entitled to leave good manners outside. Happy days.
Same applies to many retail staff, there can be problems on both sides of the counter !
All that because he "felt his consumer rights were being infringed"?
Nutter...
Threatening to stab someone for following company policy is totally unforgivable.
To be fair it's unforgiveable even if they weren't following company policy.
ok i had to chuckle at that one
Thats not a cyclist, as in an enthusiast, its a nutter who happens to own a bike, I hate being tarred with the same brush as these losers
not all cyclists are saints, not even all enthusiasts! However,I, of course, am perfect !
Wonder if he ever got the inner tube replaced...
A €400 fine? Seems a little excessive, I could get 40 inner tubes replaced for that much...
Learn to do it yourself then
Obviously a very angry person. I shudder to think what he must be like when he's on his bike in the traffic.
Nah that's the fitting cost. When I used to work there it was 7 euros for the tube and 7 euros to fit. I used to use the fitting cost as an educational cost so at least customers felt they were getting value for money. The staff see nothing of the labour costs. That goes straight to the Halfords coffers
Nah that's the fitting cost. When I used to work there it was 7 euros for the tube and 7 euros to fit. I used to use the fitting cost as an educational cost so at least customers felt they were getting value for money. The staff see nothing of the labour costs. That goes straight to the Halfords coffers
Thats pretty standard pricing nothing un-reasonable!
Pretty sure its £9.99 for tube and fitting. Shocking how people have anger issues and cant see a problem with it.
That's labour cost only, presumably nutter would have called in a bomb threat with the extra 4 or 5 quid for the tube added on.