Judge convicts man of assaulting brother

A man who beat up his brother outside their home was convicted at the District Court of assault causing harm.

Seamai Lyons (23), 16 Millhaven, Castlebridge, pleaded not guilty to assaulting his younger sibling Finn Lyons.

The court was told that the injured party, Finn Lyons, was on holiday in Malaysia and not present for the hearing.

The defending barrister also pointed out that the vacationing sibling had declined the make any statement of complaint.

However, the case went ahead with evidence from the two gardaí who witnessed what happened in the early hours of October 6 last.

Garda Robert Nolan told how he responded to a report that two males were fighting in Millhaven.

The witness arrived to find Finn Lyons outside Number 16 unsteady on his feet and ‘verbally erratic’. His left cheek was cut and his left eye was swollen, the garda said.

Seamaí Lyons emerged from the house and punched his younger brother three times in the face causing a heavy nose bleed.

He shouted at the officers to get off his property and then both men came towards the gardaí with closed fists.

Both were pepper sprayed and arrested. Further detail was offered to the court by

Garda Anne Quirke who recalled how the impact of the blows to Finn’s face.

She described how ‘you could hear the crack as he was punched’, with blood spatter all over a wall.

Barrister Jordan Fletcher argued that the matter should be dismissed.

Garda Inspector Rory Sheriff responded that while the events described may have been a family matter, hostilities had spilled out on to the public footpath.

Judge Brian O’Shea found the facts of the case proven against the unemployed accused and adjourned until March to allow the injured man the opportunity to give the court a victim impact statement.