Limerick attack ‘left victim needing 500 stitches’

Two brothers have been charged in connection with a stabbing attack which left the victim needing 500 stitches to his head, neck and back, a court heard on Monday.

Daniel Harty (19) and Martin Harty (20), both of Lisheen Park, Patrickswell, Co Limerick, were at Limerick District Court on Monday charged with assault causing harm to their brother-in-law, Seamus Byrnes, at Church Road, Ballycummin, on Saturday, October 28th.

Gardaí said the incident was linked to a long-running feud between the three men’s families.

During a bail application for Daniel Harty, Garda Dave Godfrey from Roxboro Road station said that "such was the extent" of Mr Byrnes's injuries that gardaí immediately took a "dying declaration" from him, in which he said who his alleged attackers were.

Mr Godfrey said Mr Byrnes had been “slashed and stabbed a number of times” and that the wounds were “focused to his head”.

He said Mr Byrnes alleged that Daniel Harty and Martin Harty had along with a third individual not before the court attacked him with weapons including “a knife”, “a machete” and “a wooden stick”.

The court heard that gardaí later took a detailed 13-page statement from Mr Byrnes from his hospital bed.

Mr Godfrey said he believed Daniel Harty would commit further serious offences if granted bail.

He said “longstanding dislikes” between the family of the accused men and the family of the victim had “escalated in the past number of months, involving incidents both locally and in Dublin”.

He said the situation was “extremely volatile” and that the families all reside in the same housing estate.

He said he believed Daniel Harty would “pursue” matters and that if he was granted bail a “loss of life may occur”.

Bail refused

Judge Mary Larkin refused bail for Daniel Harty, and remanded him in custody to appear before Limerick District Court via videolink on Tuesday.

Martin Harty was remanded in custody to appear before the court for a bail application on the same day.

Daniel and Martin Harty were also charged with violent disorder, in which they allegedly attacked Mr Byrnes with weapons in front of his wife and child, at Punches Cross, Limerick, on October 10th last.

The father of the two accused, Jimmy Harty (46), also of Lisheen Park, Patrickswell, was charged with one count of violent disorder at Punches Cross on October 10th last.

He was remanded in custody to appear before the district court again on Tuesday for a bail application.