Four men sentenced for violent disorder
Four men have been sentenced for their role in an attack on a man in a shopping centre in front of numerous shopkeepers and members of the public.
Andrew Grace (aged 21), James Somers (aged 25), Martin Talbot (aged 28) and Barry Johnson (aged 27) all pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to violent disorder at Ballymun Town Centre on July 16, 2010.
Somers of Balbutcher Lane, Ballymun, also pleaded guilty to possession of €4,200 worth of heroin on May 23, 2011 at the Plaza Apartments, in Ballymun. He has 14 previous convictions including possession of drugs for sale or supply and obstruction of a garda.
Johnson of Coultry Grove, Ballymun, has previous convictions for threatening to kill or cause serious harm, assault causing harm, possession of knives, criminal damage and theft.
Neither Grace nor Talbot have any previous convictions.
Garda Conor Garland told Mr Shane Costelloe BL, prosecuting, that Michael McDonagh was set upon by up to six people at 7.30pm. He said eye witnesses stated that the man was knocked to the ground before he was punched and kicked while lying there.
Gardaí were alerted but by the time they arrived Mr McDonagh was the only person who remained at the scene. He did not attend hospital and Gda Garland agreed that the victim “did not want anything to do with the gardaí”.
Gda Garland said he was satisfied that Mr McDonagh did not want to make any statement so there was no evidence of his injuries available to the court.
There were a large number of people, including young children who were in the town centre. The garda obtained many witness statements and after viewing CCTV footage, five men were nominated as suspects.
All five were arrested and detained but Gda Garland agreed with Mr Costelloe that “nothing of material assistance” came out of their interviews.
Gerard Dunne (aged 24 ) of Coultry Road, Ballymun, pleaded guilty to the same charge and was sentenced previously by Judge Patrick McCartan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Gda Garland agreed with Mr Costelloe that Dunne had also been before the court on “on other more serious charges” that day and received a total consecutive sentence of eight years with four years suspended, which included a three year term for this charge of violence disorder.
Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Grace of Carton Terrace, Ballymun and Talbot of Plunkett Drive, Finglas West to a two year sentence which he suspended in full after hearing evidence that neither man has previous convictions nor had they come to garda attention.
He sentenced both Somers and Johnson to two years in prison with the last six months suspended after noting they both have criminal records.
Judge Nolan sentenced Somers to an additional 18 months on the drug offence after saying that he “had tried the patience of the courts” having noted his previous convictions for drug dealing.
He said it had been a “violent attack” but he was comforted by the fact that Mr McDonagh “did not feel the need to go to hospital”.
