Man jailed for unprovoked 2023 city centre asssault

By Eimear Dodd

A man who led five others in an unprovoked attack on another man in Dublin city centre two years ago has been jailed.

Wayne Gilligan (29) of Rosebank Court, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 pleaded guilty to violent disorder on Euston Street on May 8, 2023.

Garda Chloe Rochford gave evidence that Gilligan instigated the unprovoked attack on the injured party by a group of six men at around 11.30pm.

Gilligan punched the victim several times to the head and body and caused him to fall to the ground. He then kicked the injured party while he was on the ground.

Another male kicked and stamped on the injured party, while a third male struck him with a bladed weapon, believed by gardai to be a machete.

Gilligan then kicked and stamped on the injured party again, while another male struck the victim as well.

CCTV footage of the incident was played to the court. The men fled on foot after the attack and the injured party got up, later encountering gardai on South Great George’s Street.

The victim was taken to hospital. Gardai observed he had sustained a number of deep cuts, including to his head and a finger.

The injured party refused to co-operate with gardai, allow access to his medical records or provide a victim impact statement.

Gilligan was identified from CCTV.  He has 137 previous convictions including for affray, assault, endangerment and drugs offences. Gilligan is currently in custody, with an earliest release date of August 2027.

The court heard Gilligan is the only one of the six men who has been identified. There is no suggestion he used or had a weapon.

Gda Rochford agreed with defence counsel that the guilty plea was valuable, but said she couldn’t give evidence about whether the victim’s injuries were only caused by the weapon.

It was also accepted that while Gilligan’s involvement is brief, he still played a role in an incident which caused serious harm to the injured party.

Defence counsel outlined that his client qualified as a bricklayer and has some work history, but his addiction issues took over.

He said Gilligan’s offending is linked to his addiction, which he has taken steps to address. Gilligan is engaging with services, has enhanced prisoner status and is working as a cleaner in custody.

Counsel said Gilligan has completed an anger management course, and instructs he has been providing clean urine samples.

Counsel said his client wasn’t a “lone ranger” and was one of six involved in this “extremely violent incident”. He asked the court not to extend Gilligan’s time in custody or to suspend a portion of any sentence imposed.

Judge Martin Nolan said Gilligan led the attack on the “unfortunate” injured party. The judge noted the reasons behind the attack were unclear, adding the “court assumes there must have been a reason”.

Having considered the mitigation and Gilligan’s personal circumstances, Judge Nolan said he couldn’t agree to the defence’s request not to extend Gilligan’s time in custody, imposing a sentence of four years and three months.