A UCC student had his "eye blown out of his head" after he was struck by a dog choke chain during an assault by a gang of youths, Cork Circuit Criminal Court was told yesterday. Judge A.G. Murphy said the gang behaved like animals. He said the student would be compensated and his assailant would work for him for a long time to pay him for his injury.
The court was told that students queuing for pop concert tickets were verbally abused and assaulted by drunken men passing through the shopping centre at Douglas in June 1996. Two of them were attacked and ran away. They flagged down a van in which Mr John Fitzgerald and a number of friends were returning from a party. "We went down to the shopping centre to see what was happening," said Mr Fitzgerald.
Liam Stout, of St Patrick's Terrace, Douglas West, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Fitzgerald. Det Garda John Riordan said Stout absconded before facing trial and fled to England. Mr Fitzgerald said the effect of his injury on his family and himself was devastating. He was unable to continue his studies, but expected he would pass his exams in economics this year.
Mr David Goldberg BL, defending, said Stout was working for a builder and was earning £220 a week. He was willing to pay £120 a week compensation to Mr Fitzgerald for as long as required by the court.
Judge Murphy said a long prison sentence was not enough because Mr Fitzgerald had lost an eye and a year of college. He adjourned the case for a year and ordered Stout to pay £120 a week compensation.