Suspended sentence for man who assaulted security guard

By Claire Henry

The second of two young men who assaulted a security guard after celebrating St Patrick’s Day has been given a suspended sentence.

Adam Roe-Dwyer (25), of Johnfield Road, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of assault causing harm to a security officer at Centra, Dame Street, Dublin 2, on March 18, 2022.

His co-accused, Ian Lynch (25), of Weaver Street, Dublin 18, pleaded guilty to the same charge and was given a suspended sentence earlier this year. Neither man has any previous convictions.

Garda Darragh Mylod previously told Derek Cooney BL, prosecuting, that he was on duty at 3.10 am on the date in question when he was alerted to an incident at Centra on Dame Street. When he entered the shop, he found one of the security guards with a deep cut to his right eye which was bleeding heavily and swelling to his nose.

The security guard said that he had been at the back of the shop, and his co-worker had been standing at the entrance when two men, Lynch and Roe-Dwyer, entered the shop. Roe-Dwyer was holding a plastic pint glass of Guinness, and the security officer told him he could not bring it into the shop.

The court heard that the injured party moved from his position at the back of the shop to the entrance to help the other security officer. He said discriminatory language was used toward them.

The injured party tried to stop Roe-Dwyer from entering the shop. Roe-Dwyer then struck the security officer, and soon after, Lynch began to punch the injured security officer. A third male, who has not yet been identified, also punched the security officer.

CCTV footage of the incident was shown to the court. Lynch was seen leaving the shop, but Roe-Dwyer was detained by staff in the shop. He was arrested at the scene by gardai.

The injured security officer went to St James’s Hospital, where he underwent a CT scan, which confirmed he had two fractures to his nose. He later underwent surgery and was hospitalised for five days.

Lynch was later identified on CCTV footage, and a search warrant for his home was issued. During the search, clothing matching what he was seen wearing on the CCTV footage was seized.

A victim impact statement was read to the court by Mr Cooney, which said the injured man has “lost his confidence”, and when he goes outside, he is always in “fear”.

He said that for four months, he could not breathe through his nose and that he “can’t describe the pain he has suffered”.

He said that it took him eight to nine months for his nose to recover fully.

The court heard that the injured security worker was at a loss of €8,000 due to medical expenses and lack of earnings. The injured man has since moved out of Dublin.

Gda Mylod agreed with Keith Spencer, BL, defending, that both men were co-operative with gardai and had no previous convictions.

Mr Spencer said both men wished to offer their sincere apologies to the injured party.

Lynch had €4,000 in court for the injured security worker as a token of his remorse, and he was given a two-and-a-half year suspended sentence by Judge Patricia Ryan earlier this year. Roe-Dwyer’s case was adjourned to allow him to save up a similar amount, and he had €4,000 in court today/yesterday (FRIDAY).

Sentencing Roe-Dwyer on Friday, Judge Ryan said it was a very serious assault. She noted the significant injuries sustained by the injured party, and the length of time it has taken him to recover physically.

She took into account a number of mitigating factors, including the fact that Roe-Dwyer has an excellent education record, no previous convictions and has not come to the attention of gardaí since the assault.

Judge Ryan handed down a two-and-a-half-year sentence, which she suspended in full on a number of conditions.