A man who beat a Polish national with a hurley while the man was on his way home from work has had his sentence adjourned to allow for the preparation of a probation report.
Keith Mooney and an accomplice were seen attacking Wojtek Swiatoniowski by off-duty Garda Martin Mulligan, who chased and caught them.
Mooney (21), of Barnaville Park, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the victim on November 19th, 2004.
Judge Patricia Ryan agreed to an application from defence counsel Bernard Condon to adjourn the case to next January to allow for an assessment by the probation service to determine if Mooney's progress was genuine and to establish if "he really wouldn't grace the doors of the criminal courts again".
Garda Mulligan told Garret Baker, prosecuting, that Mr Swiatoniowski had just arrived in Ireland earlier that month. He was on his way home during the first week of his job in a factory in Cherry Orchard when he was chased by two men carrying a truncheon and a hurley.
Mr Swiatoniowski ran away but when he reached a wall that he couldn't climb, the two attacked him, hitting him on the head and the knees. He was left with a cut to his head that needed eight stitches. His knee needed three stitches. Garda Mulligan, who was sitting in traffic, saw Mooney chase the victim and then hit him over the head a few times with a hurley. He gave chase and eventually caught both attackers. The co-accused was dealt with in the Children's Court.
Judge Ryan heard that Mr Swiatoniowski had recovered from his injuries but felt he couldn't continue with his new job because he was afraid to walk about in that area. He found it difficult to find a new placement that allowed him to work similar hours. He stated in a victim impact report that it "was just an unfortunate event that could have happened anywhere in the world".
Mooney had four previous convictions, including driving without insurance and a licence, and possession of drugs, that had all been dealt with in the District Court. Mr Condon said Mooney was suffering from depression, abusing alcohol and wasn't living in the family home.
Mr Condon said his client had made some progress since this incident and he felt that he "really wouldn't grace the doors of the criminal courts again".