Law graduate’s five years for setting NUI Galway student on fire
A law graduate has been sentenced for five years in prison with eighteen months suspended for setting fire to a medical student in a Galway city night-club three years ago.
Matthew Sheridan (24), from Dublin, who was a second year medical student at NUIG at the time, was attending a Hallowe’en fancy dress party at Halo night-club at Upper Abbeygate Street, Galway on October 31, 2012, when the accused, Brian Keane (23), from Grange, Templemore Road, Thurles, came up behind him on the dance floor, took out his lighter and set fire to Mr Sheridan’s costume for no apparent reason.
Mr Sheridan’s home-made sheep costume, which he had made by using highly flammable glue to stick cotton wool to a t-shirt and pants, burst into flames instantaneously.
He was engulfed in flames and had to be placed in an induced coma for weeks afterwards at UHG, where he was in a critical condition, having suffered over 75% burns to his entire body.
He was transferred to St. James Hospital in Dublin later on to undergo more treatment and also spent four months in a specialist burns unit in France, where he underwent graft treatment.
Brian Keane pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court moments before his trial was due to begin last February to intentionally or recklessly causing serious bodily harm to Mr Sheridan on the night in question.
Sentence had been adjourned to this week’s court for the preparation of reports.
See full court report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.