Suspended sentence for St Patrick's Day attacker
A binge drinking teenager who assaulted strangers on St Patrick’s Day for two years in a row using a bottle as a weapon has been given a four-year suspended sentence.
Jason Duffy (aged 18) hit one victim to the head with a bottle after the man refused to buy alcohol for a group of youths. The following year a second man suffered a fractured nose a year later after being confronted by Duffy while out socialising.
Duffy, of St Samson’s Court, Coolock, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Mr Thomas Byrne at Malahide Road, Clontarf on March 17, 2008 and assaulting Mr Robert Lee at Merrion Row on March 17, 2009. Duffy has four previous convictions.
Judge Tony Hunt said Duffy was fortunate both victims wished to put the incidents behind them and that they were not more seriously injured. He took into account Duffy’s age as well as his early guilty pleas.
Judge Hunt said he was using his discretion to impose consecutive sentences totalling four years which he suspended entirely for five years. He warned Duffy if he came back before the court for any reason during that time he would serve the entire sentence.
He told Duffy he had brought pain, not only to his victims, but also to his family who were “decent solid people.”
He also ordered probation supervision for 12 months and ordered that the compensation brought to court by Duffy be paid over to the victims or the St Vincent de Paul if they did not wish to accept it.
Mr Ronan Kennedy BL, defending, said Duffy was at a cross roads in his life where he was starting to take responsibility for his actions. He submitted his client was now engaging with the probation service, was in work, was not coming to garda attention and was keeping a low profile.
Mr Kennedy said Duffy had instructed him to apologise to both injured parties and he had €4,400 in court to offer as a token of his remorse.
