Hi °C | Lo °C THE former hunger striker "barrelled towards" the Herald's Doug O'Connor. "He was out of control, like a raging bull on a rampage," the shaken photographer said today.
The frightening incident occurred near the builder's massive Dublin 4 mansion in Ballsbridge.
Journalist Doug O'Connor described how a "huffing and puffing" McFeely "lost the rag" and tried to wrench his camera off his neck.
"My hands came up to cover my equipment and grappled with the straps ... Then I said 'This is assault now, you're assaulting me'," he said.
McFeely leapt from the passenger side of his Toyota Landcruiser and charged at the Herald man.
"He jumped out and came around the front part of the car," Mr O'Connor said.
"He came towards me saying 'You're f**king harassing my f**king family'.
"He was upset and angry."
Shouting
McFeely later travelled to the Four Courts where he asked one judge not to jail him for contempt of court and five other judges to drop a three-month jail sentence and €1m fine.
Mr O'Connor says that it was "a bit of a blur" as McFeely charged at him on a public street.
"He barrelled towards me, red faced, huffing and puffing, shouting and really angry. He'd lost the rag," he said.
Mr O'Connor attempted to explain that he worked for the Herald but the developer retorted: 'So you're scum then.'
"The expression on his face was really angry. He was fuming the whole way through it. He was red-faced and really angry, in a real tizzy," Mr O'Connor added. The incident came to an end when the Toyota pulled up beside him and he jumped in.
The female driver then drove off.
Shortly afterwards McFeely appeared in court to tell a judge that he meant no disrespect by failing to show up for a hearing last week.
After paying €500 bail he then dashed from Dublin District Court to the Supreme Court.
There he succeeded in convincing judges to overturn a High Court order jailing him for three months and fining him €1m for breaching an undertaking he gave in relation to fire safety works at Priory Hall in north Dublin.
Ripped
Leaving the Four Courts McFeely pushed past reporters and slammed the door of his car so that it ripped cables off a radio reporter's equipment as the driver sped off.
Mr McFeely has just days to vacate his mansion on Ailesbury Road before city authorities can take control of it.
The Herald understands that given Mr McFeely's aggressive behaviour in recent days they will be backed up by a significant number of gardai.
Some 300 people had to evacuate their homes in Priory Hall last October over fire safety issues.
comurphy@herald.ie
