Court reduces sentence for teenager who left schoolboy with brain damage
A teenager who left a schoolboy's brain damaged in an unprovoked attack has had his jail sentence reduced from 12 years to nine-and-a-half years on appeal.
Adam Fitzgibbon from Lisanalta, Dooradoyle in Limerick was in HSE care at the time of the assault in 2010.
The vicious attack which left a 16-year-old boy with permanent brain damage happened at a service station in Corbally, Co Clare in July 2010.
Adam Fitzgibbon was caught on CCTV inflicting 65 kicks and stamps to his victim’s head, along with two stamps to his chest and 26 punches.
An attempted murder charge was dropped and instead he received a sentence of 15 years with three suspended for assault causing serious harm.
Today, his custodial sentence has been slashed to nine-and-a-half years on appeal. The court found the original sentence was too harsh.
The court factored in his difficult background, his history of substance abuse and evidence that at the age of 20 he is "vastly better" than he was before.
