Two brothers have been convicted of assaulting a gatecrasher at a party thrown by the Zoe Developments building company. Mr William O'Brien suffered serious head injuries and lost his sense of smell as a result of the attack, the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
A jury found Patrick Kelly (30) and Joseph Kelly (34), both of Spire View Lane, Rathgar, guilty of actual bodily harm. Patrick Kelly was also found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm. They were employed as foremen for Zoe Developments at the time.
Mr Liam Carroll, the owner of company, gave evidence as to their characters. During the two-day trial a number of witnesses said Mr O'Brien had arrived uninvited at a party held in the Stillorgan Park Hotel on December 20th, 1996. He had been told by Patrick and Joseph Kelly to leave and they had escorted him to the hotel reception.
Receptionist Ms Niamh Dunleavy told the court that one of the men had hit Mr O'Brien's head against a door. Another witness, Mr Kieran Harte, said Mr O'Brien was pushed to the ground. He had been kicked repeatedly by Joseph Kelly.
The two Kellys claimed in court that Mr O'Brien had refused to leave the hotel function room and had insulted their mother. They claimed Mr O'Brien had fallen to the ground and Joseph Kelly had "moved him" with his feet.
Judge Kieran O'Connor re leased both men on continuing bail for sentence on May 14th and ordered the preparation of a victim impact report.