A former psychiatric nurse found guilty of assaulting a patient in his care has had his four-year sentence suspended on appeal.
Bernard Cullen (47), Hillview, Gormanstown, Co Kildare, appealed the sentence imposed last June by the Circuit Criminal Court after he pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Garry Connell (35) on September 19th, 2001.
Mr Connell was being restrained by Mr Cullen's colleagues at the time and died later that day. His death was found to have been unconnected to the assault.
The incident occurred after Mr Connell stabbed a care worker in the eye and face with a shard from a broken mirror.
Considering the case the Court of Criminal Appeal took into consideration that other staff had referred to the incident as the most violent they had ever witnessed.
Speaking today Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns - presiding with Mr Justice Michael Hanna and Mr Justice Liam McKechnie - said that sentence was on the "high end of the scale"
He noted Cullen had spent a month in prison before being released on bail.