Man who threw pint glass at stranger may avoid jail
A man who threw a pint glass at a stranger in a city pub, causing facial injuries, was told to pay €5,000 in compensation to avoid a prison sentence, at Galway District Court.
Despite recognising that it had been a violent act, Judge Mary Fahy took into account the charitable attitude of the injured party, who did not wish to ruin the life of the accused.
“This man was looking for a job at the time, and was covered in scars,” she said of the injured party.
“It looked bad, from an employer’s point of view, that he had done something wrong.”
Kieran Crowley (30), with an address at 7 Castleknock, Ballincollig, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to a serious assault on a man in the Quays Bar on December 1 last year.
Sgt Vincent Jennings said that words were exchanged between the parties, who had not known one another, after which the defendant threw an empty pint glass at the injured party.
“It was captured on CCTV – the glass shattered off a wall, then there was a scuffle,” he said. “He got injured from the glass on the floor.”
The injured party suffered wounds to his face and ear, and told the court that he still has visible injuries nearly a year later.
“I was self-conscious, and was trying to get a job at the time, but I was covered in scars for six months,” he said.
“My sister and girlfriend were on the staircase, he could have hit them, he could have done serious damage.”
Inspector Mick O’Dwyer advised the court that Crowley had no previous convictions, had expressed remorse, and had co-operated with Gardaí.
“It was captured on CCTV – there was no way he could have denied it in any case,” Judge Fahy remarked.
Crowley’s solicitor, Shane Sheridan, said that his client had been in Galway for a birthday party, adding that “alcohol was a factor” in his actions. He asked that the judge would note the plea, and put the matter back to allow his client to raise some money in compensation.
The judge dismissed any suggestion that the defendant would get the benefit of the Probation Act, however.
“Any public place in December, in a city like Galway, most places are fairly busy, and to throw a glass at anybody whether you know them or not is totally unacceptable,” she said.
“It is an act of violence, and not something that this court would consider the Probation Act, if that’s what you’re asking. In his favour, he has no previous convictions, and is remorseful, but as a 30-years-old man, he is not a juvenile.”
The judge said that the injured party deserved compensation for the injuries sustained by the attack, during a time when he was looking for work in the hospitality industry.
She adjourned the case until February 2 for €5,000 to be in court.