Celebrity hairdresser fired at neighbours

5:42pm Wednesday 24th October 2007

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A CELEBRITY hairdresser from Worcestershire blasted an air rifle at farmers and pelted them with stones following a three-year boundary dispute, a court heard.

Daniel Galvin Jnr, who counts Madonna and Nicole Kidman as his famous clients - launched the attack on brothers Richard and David Bury, who were harvesting sugar beet in the field adjoining his home in Pensham Fields, near Pershore.

At Worcester Magistrates Court yesterday Douglas Marshall, prosecuting, said: "Mr Richard Bury was working on his tractor. He said he turned to see Mr Galvin some 50 feet away, holding what appeared to be a rifle, aiming at him through a telescopic sight."

Mr Marshall said Galvin fired and then reloaded.

"He heard another shot and heard a pellet strike the body of his tractor," he added.

Mr Marshall said the hairdresser ran inside before returning to throw rocks at Mr Bury's tractor.

He said he was charged with common assault because of the apprehension of violence in the use of the rifle towards Richard Bury, where "pellets were flying towards him and his vehicle."

Galvin was in court to be sentenced, after being found guilty of common assault and criminal damage in September.

Sasha Wass, defending, said the 38-year-old - son of hairdresser to the stars Daniel Galvin senior - still "strenuously denied" the charges.

"The events of the 2 December (2006) took place against a background of extreme provocation," she said.

"Mr Galvin tried at all times to deal with the dispute properly.

"He instructed solicitors. He was advised to put a fence up - the fence was effectively torn out by the Bury brothers."

Miss Wass said another neighbour spoke of his "astonishment at the extreme abuse" Galvin suffered at the hands of the brothers.

She said the married father-of-two' had given up lucrative hairdressing appointments' to carry out charity work - helping people with drug problems, had helped raise £11 million for Cancer Research UK and was an ambassador for the Prince's Trust.

But sentencing Galvin, district judge Bruce Morgan said he had given a "ludicrous" and "arrogant" defence during the earlier trial, claiming the brothers had invented and "stage managed" the story.

He was sentenced to five months in custody, suspended for two years and must complete 150 hours of unpaid community work, pay £900 costs and £1,463 compensation.

In June 2005 Galvin was cleared of assaulting neighbour James Hicken.

After the hearing Paul Rexstrew, a member of Galvin's legal team, said his client would appeal against the latest convictions.