Jail term lifted on student who ‘ glassed’ man in pub
A 20- year- old student who was jailed at the District Court for six months for assaulting another man in a pub with a glass has had the term lifted on condition he complete 240 hours of community service.
Mark Comerford of Tully, Strandhill had pleaded guilty at the District Court to assault causing harm to Michael Mitchell in the Garavogue Bar on April 6th 2015. Comerford, who had drank eight pints that night, struck Mr Mitchell in the face with a pint glass.
The court heard that he was just “chatting and having the craic” with his friends in the bar around 2.30am when he remembered getting “a thump in the face and seeing the blood.”
“I remember looking at my hands and seeing the blood just falling out of me,” he said. “I have a heart condition so I was worried I was bleeding so much. I’m still in a lot of pain and aware I’m going to have scars on my face for the rest of my life,” he told Gardaí.
Comerford who had no previous convictions, apologised to his victim in court.
Judge Kevin Kilrane sentenced Comerford to six months in prison which was appealed to the Circuit Court. “A man with eight pints glasses another man for no reason. If there is a reason I haven’t heard it.
“A message has got to be sent out that this type of assault is to be completely abhorred and punished severely,” he said.
Last Tuesday, Judge Keenan Johnson lifted the jail term on hearing that € 10,000 was paid over to Mr Mitchell.
The six months prison sen- tence was suspended and Comerford was ordered to carry out 240 hours of community service in lieu of six months in jail. Mr Gerard McGovern, solicitor ( defending) said the defendant was a student in Dublin so that the community service would have to be carried out there.