AN IRISHMAN who was beaten in an unprovoked attack in Sydney, Australia, by a pub bouncer three years ago has been awarded more than Aus$350,000 (€285,000) in compensation.
Patrick Crilly (25), from Cookstown, Co Tyrone, lost his hearing in his right ear and has suffered balance problems and bleeding on the brain as a result of the attack in 2008.
He sued the security company which employed the offender to work at the Moore Park View Hotel in the Sydney suburb of Waterloo.
Judge Leonard Levy in the district court heard that at about 11pm on December 20th, 2008, the security guard grabbed Mr Crilly and punched him on the jaw under the chin, causing him to fall down. In the fall, Mr Crilly hit the back of his head on concrete. He lost consciousness and began vomiting.
The court heard that Mr Crilly was drunk the time of the incident. He was attempting to help a friend who became involved in a fight on the footpath outside the pub.
Judge Levy said Mr Crilly did nothing to provoke the assault and “was an entirely innocent victim” of the security guard. The bouncer was given a suspended jail term after being convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The court ordered that Mr Crilly receive $200,000 in general damages, $100,000 for future income loss and further amounts for hearing aids and aggravated damages.
The total amount of $356,759 was awarded to Mr Crilly, who is a steel and metal fabricator, because he has been advised to avoid working at heights, on ladders or working on or near dangerous machinery.
He said his injuries had left him feeling “frustrated and impatient” and that since the assault he had suffered from anxiety, poor concentration and forgetfulness. His hearing loss caused him to ask people to repeat themselves numerous times in social situations, which made him feel awkward.
Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported the Bumble Group, which employed the bouncer who attacked Mr Crilly, did not take part in the case and failed to respond to letters from Mr Crilly’s lawyers.
It is reported that Mr Crilly, who had been living in Brisbane since the assault, boarded a flight home to Ireland yesterday.
The Sydney suburb where Mr Crilly was attacked is close to Coogee where two other Irishmen suffered serious assaults, one fatal, in recent years.
Dubliner Gearóid Walsh (23) never regained consciousness after being struck outside a fast food shop in October 2009. A local man is awaiting trial for his manslaughter.
In August 2008, Corkman David Keohane was also attacked in Coogee. Mr Keohane was flown back to Ireland while still in a coma, from which he emerged on St Patrick’s Day 2009.
Two men have been convicted over the attack on Mr Keohane.