Disgraced GAA couple Kerri and Niall Bradley have decided their kebab house fracas is not ‘brawl’ over after it emerged they are appealing their convictions.
The shock news emerged just days after the couple were handed suspended sentences and their barrister told the court “both defendants accept the findings of the court”.
He also told the court, during mitigation aimed at keeping the couple from going to prison, that Niall Bradley “expressed genuine regret and remorse”, while Kerri Bradley “accepts, regardless of her initial motivation she has gone far in excess of what anybody should do in those circumstances”.
The disgraced pair — both 38 and well known in GAA circles in Derry — were filmed in a late-night video nasty last October outside a takeaway in Magherafelt.
The former footballer was filmed launching a volley of punches on Dylan Wilkinson, while his award-winning HR boss wife Kerri was caught on camera assaulting his fiancée Allanah Mullan and throwing her onto the road.
Kerri and Niall Bradley
Last week, it was revealed the governor of Hydebank Wood Prison — the very jail Kerri would have been sent to — had written a glowing reference for the former HR director.
After a judge handed them suspended jail terms it seemed the case was over but now it appears the couple are coming back to try to clear their names.
It has now emerged that the pair, both of the Kilrea Road in Portglenone, are due to have their appeal heard at Derry Courthouse on September 10.
Well-known Derry GAA couple convicted over late-night boozy brawl caught on camera
Video nasty GAA couple avoid jail over kebab shop scrap as judge slams ‘fall from grace’
The news came out after the authorities were asked to release the full CCTV footage of the shocking drunken attack on another couple.
The Sunday World was that footage cannot be released and part of the reason was because the defendants had launched an appeal against both their convictions and sentence.
Kerri Bradley contested all the charges against her — assaulting both Mr Wilkinson and his partner and disorderly behaviour —despite a video clearly showing her pushing Miss Mullan on to the street.
Niall Bradley had already pleaded guilty to the most serious charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Mr Wilkinson, who was left with two black eyes and a nasty head wound.
But he was further convicted of common assault on Allanah Mullan and also of disorderly behaviour following a contest hearing in June.
Kerri Bradley
In a court contest, Kerri Bradley gave evidence in vain that she and her husband had been the victims, goaded into a fight with the other couple, but Kerri and Niall were shown to be the aggressors.
CCTV footage taken from the takeaway was shown several times to the court and a prosecuting barrister was able to show that Kerri’s version of events was pure fantasy.
Last week during sentencing, their barrister told Banbridge Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Newry, how the couple had now accepted the findings of the court.
He said the couple had struggled after Niall had been involved in a horrific sports injury while playing Gaelic football and he was now registered disabled.
Niall played senior football for Derry a decade ago but his club career at Greenlough GAC was cut short in 2021 after the injury which saw him being taken to hospital in the NI Air Ambulance to save part of his leg.
He explained the couple had not been out together for three years and the night of the incident at the takeaway had been their first night out and they accepted drink had been taken.
Niall Bradley and wife Kerri leave Newry court
He made reference to the pre-sentence reports being very positive.
“This couple were well out of their comfort zone with what they actually did, that’s the stress they were living with in the months and years prior to this incident,” the barrister told the court.
“It’s entirely out of character, completely out of character for Kerri Bradley, I would suggest it was very significantly out of character for Niall Bradley.
“The pre-sentence report in respect of Niall Bradley you’ll see… the author has been somewhat impressed by Niall Bradley’s approach.
“He pleaded guilty to AOBH, he didn’t plead guilty to common assault but he didn’t give evidence in that and we relied on the video and your worship held against us in that and that’s accepted by the defendant and both defendants accept the findings of the court.
“The report states ‘during interview for this report Mr Bradley expressed genuine regret and remorse without prompting’.
“In respect of Kerri Bradley, she gave evidence, she took a position as to how she behaved that night and your worship was firmly against her in that regard and has convicted her in that regard and she again has accepted your views on those matters and indeed she goes further and has reflected on her own position and you’ll see in the pre-sentence report that she accepts, regardless of her initial motivation she has gone far in excess of what anybody should do in those circumstances.
“Her fall from grace is extreme, she has lost a very good professional job and her prospects… are much poorer as a result of her behaviour on this night and she accepts this falls on herself.
“They are a young couple with young children who are doing very well who they want to look up to them but the accept they have lost that to the degree that they have behaved in this way.
“In respect of Kerri there is an impressive reference from the governor of Hydebank Wood who again is someone who is skilled and knows the issues.”
But Deputy District Judge Browne said: “The behaviour of both people was absolutely disgraceful and as a result, not only has their reputation in public been diminished but they both have significant criminal records.
“The custody threshold has been passed and I reminded the parties that the video evidence certainly makes it many times worse than simply reading out the simple facts, and the behaviour I viewed was shocking and I’m not easily shocked.”
Kerri was sentenced to two months in jail while her husband was sentenced to a total of five months behind bars but the judge said “in view of the surrounding factors” he would suspend them for 18 months.
by BelfastTelegraph
8 comments
>GAA couple
…what the fuck has the GAA got to do with this?
She seems to have been dismissed from her position at Cleaver Fulton Rankin as mentioned in the article as she is no longer on their website. Not a good look having a HR Director of a law firm involved in a brawl and throwing someone onto the ground. I can also see she recently started a HR podcast, perhaps street fighting tips could be a topic for the future.
What an absolutely horrendously written article. The fact that a professional journalist wrote that is a damning indictment on the state of journalism these days – it was barely readable.
She pulls out the big guns with a ‘glowing reference’ from a prison governor and they accepted they were in the wrong and now they are appealing. Hope that high maintenance witch and her gobshite husband get sent down. Arrogant pricks
It would be hilarious if the appeal judge deems that the sentence was too lenient and imposes a prison sentence on them.
To be fair who hasn’t had a late night kebab brawl after a proper session, sign of a good night out really
They’ve couples GAA now?
The Beltel love a good tabloid grabbing headline…GAA Couple.