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A MAN WHO broke another man’s jaw in an unprovoked attack has avoided jail but must pay his victim €7,500.
The victim, Adam Morris, spent a week in hospital and required surgery to fix his jaw with permanent metal plates.
Alan Gilsenan (26) of Jobstown, Tallaght, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of assault causing harm to Mr Morris on 20 July 2014 at Show Nightclub, Belgard Road, Tallaght.
Garda Robert Stokes told Úna Tighe BL, prosecuting, that Mr Morris arrived at the nightclub at 12am and was speaking with friends when he met Gilsenan, whom he thought was acting aggressively.
Mr Morris went downstairs and stopped to speak with another friend when he felt an impact to the side of his face and fell backwards.
His friend told him a man had hit him and run back upstairs.
Gilsenan was identified using publicity photographs taken of visitors to the nightclub.
Counsel for the accused told Judge Martin Nolan that Gilsenan, who has a small number of previous convictions for minor road traffic offences, was undergoing anger management therapy and had written a letter to Mr Morris to express his remorse.
Judge Nolan took Gilsenan’s guilty plea, cooperation with gardaí and good record into account and suspended a three year jail term in full.
He ordered that within 18 months Gilsenan pay €7,500 to Mr Morris and enter a bond of €100 to keep the peace for three years.
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That’s disgraceful, such a paltry puinishment for such a vicious unprovoked crime
criminals have no fear of the law. they realise that there is a string chance that they will get off without a custodial sentence. Aa very strong chance.
to me, the only way to deter people from commiting crime is to give serious jail time. 5 to 10 years minimum for an assault for example. Surely after seeing a few of these kinds of sentences, people will think twice?
How can judged not see in this day and age that any knock to the head can be fatal?
I agree, this sort of negligible punishment gives licence to any fecker to take out his ‘anger’ problems on any innocent person without any fear of real retribution
I think the €7500 will hurt him more.
Take a civil action against anyone that inflicts this kind of harm and anger management classes will go out of business.
Buy your way out of Justice then. If the guy was in hospital for a week then a custodia sentence was in order, plus medical costs and compensation.
I think the fact he’s in anger management and seeing to be doing something about it might have been a big factor. If anything that’s a clear sign it’s not working and he should be put away.
Are these judges banging the criminals or what?
Judge Martin Nolan strikes again. This man is as big a danger to the public as the thugs he let’s walk free from court.
The son of a friend of mine was standing at College Green after waving bye to his girlfriend for the evening after she got a taxi home. He had just bought a burger and just as he put it to his mouth, some guy kicked with full force the hands with burger into his face, knocking him unconscious breaking his jaw, some teeth and two fingers.
The Gardai told him after that it was a kind of sport now among some ‘scroats’ to see if they can down a random person with one blow……not to rob…just for fun. They picked him (the Gardaí said) because he was 6’3″ tall and a prize target for bragging rights.
What kind of society is being created when attackers like these are allowed walk free?
A kick or blow to the head should be classed as attempted murder.
Must have had martial arts training to kick a 6’3″ man in the face.
Was he a well dressed guy wearing a sparkly suit?
Would that have been a couple of years ago Al? A lad I know had that happen on College Green, same kind of story, they kicked him in the face while he was on the ground though, he had a broken eye socket and had to have his jaw wired shut. There are some serious animals around, lets just hope they try doing it to the wrong person some night and get whats coming to them.
Hi Nigel…this was last year. He never knew what happened. Witnesses say a guy who was with a group split from them and just walked up beside him and from the side kicked him just once to the face with full force….and calmly rejoined the group and they walked off laughing.
Hard lads eh? Probably afraid of their own shadows when they’re on their own, little windbags.
If he had broken a judges jaw would he have walked free? Not a chance
Disgraceful sentence, should be minimum mandatory for anyone who uses violence
Oh skearon the irony! Tell us about the man you said you hoped is burning in hell!
Thug should be in jail.
Ridiculous, and as commonly happens, he’ll never see that money either. Honest question, Why can’t Irish judges give stronger sentences for such heinous offences? Are their hands tied somehow?
Ah sure you only have a small number of previous convictions, sure you’re an angel, here’s an early Christmas present for you sonny!
Don’t forget not to let your fist find it’s way into anyone’s face again! …now off you go and be a good boy now….
What a Joke!!
He’s probably out celebrating telling people what a dope the judge is.
I thought it was only Dublin GAA players that get off jail for breaking people’s jaws?
He was also the only player in the history of GAA to have a red card overturned on appeal…..
You talking about Davy Byrne the Dublin forward who had his jaw pinned in Beaumont hospital this year following a game against Armagh?
It’s reached the point in this country where the judges should be jailed for the mockery they’re making of our judicial system. They are undermining the guards, the DPP and public faith in justice with their ridiculous attitude to sentencing. I’ve no doubt plenty of thugs read these articles and burst a gut laughing at the judges we have in this country
Shame on you judge Nolan- an unprovoked attacker deserves to be locked up- combo seems a bit paltry too considering- would it even cover all his medical/ legal expenses and loss of earnings?
Another judge joke sentence . Or lack of !
Jaw dropped at that verdict
That is utter bullsh*t. Where is the deterrent? Our legal system is a slap in the face of those people obeying the law
I still argue that people who assault other members of the public without any provocation should not be sent to prison.
They should be sent to a psychiatric hospital for assessment, placed in a locked ward for six months and warned that if they repeat offend then they will be incarcerated indefinitely in Dundrum.
It’s actually laughable. The anger a person must feel knowing before you set footbinsideca courtroom that you will be let down by the system. Anger management, I’m doing a course, I’ll pay a fiver a week out of my dole money. A hood record yet previous convictions. One must wonder if jusgde are so accustomed to seeing people in distress that it simply doesn’t bother them anymore
I wonder what the judge would have done if the victim was a close relative of his. I guess the percentage of feral šcum in leafy south Dublin is too small for it to be significant to our fcuk stick judiciary.
It’s all for a reason,if he attacked Joan Burton what would have happened?…Most judges are pedos in any case…no wonder they let them off
The judiciary really are an embarrassment!
Lock him up. Doesn’t have to be for years but this is far too lenient.
What’s the story with our justice system?? He broke someones jaw deliberately, lock him up!!!!
Imagine if he had been up on two charges. One for the attack. And one for not having a tv licence…. different out come then me thinks……… banged up for 6 months straight away
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