Two brothers whose friend died following a Dublin city centre mini-riot have been given suspended sentences by Judge Cyril Kelly.
Gerard Judge (19), a student, and his brother, Morgan (25), employed, of Foxborough Road, Balgaddy, Lucan, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to engaging in violent disorder on July 5th, 1996.
Det Sgt Oliver McInerney told Mr Fergal Foley, prosecuting, there was no suggestion that either defendant had caused their friend's injuries from which he later died. They had in fact gone to his defence.
A running fight which moved from College Street through Westmoreland Street and on to O'Connell Bridge broke out after some drink-fuelled, boisterous but good-humoured banter had been misunderstood. Two factions were involved and both defendants were prominent in the proceedings.
Another person was also to appear before the court on a charge arising out of the same incident. This person had no connection with either faction but had joined in to even up the numbers on each side.
Det Sgt McInerney agreed with Mr Gregory Murphy SC, defending, that the trouble arose out of what began as good humoured banter being misunderstood. Some people might have been brushed against in the banter and resented this.
Mr Foley agreed with Judge Kelly that the defendants' guilty plea had saved the court's time being taken up with a trial which could have lasted for several weeks as there were over 100 witnesses on the book of evidence.
Judge Kelly said law abiding citizens were entitled to walk the streets without being engulfed in running battles. This was not the first such case to come before the court where trouble broke out after too much drink had been consumed.
Neither defendant had any previous convictions and they came from respectable families. He imposed a two-year sentence on each man but suspended the sentences on their own bonds.