Suspended sentence for man who drove car at group of people

By Claire Henry

A man who drove a car recklessly at a group and was then hit on the head with concrete cladding has received a suspended sentence.

Iulian George Margarint (36) of Green Fort Lawns, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally or recklessly driving a motor vehicle and two counts of criminal damage to both a car and a wall in the East Wall area of Dublin on November 17, 2020. He has no previous convictions.

Garda Paul Brierley told Fiona Pekaar BL, prosecuting, that on the day in question, Margarint and his then partner had purchased a small amount of drugs in the Island Key area of Dublin. Margarint left the area, and when he examined the drugs, he thought he had been ripped off and returned.

Margarint pulled his Audi car alongside a group of youths, got out, and began a conversation with them. Pushing and shoving occurred between Margarint and a group of young men.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Margarint got in his car and reversed a few metres; he then revved the car, spun the wheels, drove towards the group, and struck a wall. Cladding from the wall came off, and one of the young men picked it up and struck Margarint on the head with it.

Gda Brierley told the court that two of his colleagues were dispatched to the area and, en route, saw a man later identified as Margarint walking and bleeding heavily from his head.

Margarint had multiple lacerations to the head and was unsteady on his feet. He then collapsed and began to convulse on the ground. An ambulance was called, and he was taken to hospital, where he spent three to four weeks recovering from a serious head injury.

Margarint was interviewed once he was fit to do so; because of the head injury, he had little memory of the incident. When he was discharged from hospital, he returned home to Romania to recover.

The courts have previously dealt with several individuals involved in this incident.

Gda Brierley agreed with Donal Pattison BL, defending, that when Margarint was shown CCTV footage of the incident, he apologised for his actions and said, “I realise I took a stupid decision; I came to Ireland to work. I have never had any problems with the police.”

Mr Pattison said his client has a good work history and has worked as a truck driver. He said Margarint had suffered a very serious head injury and spent weeks in hospital.

Passing sentence, Judge Martin Nolan said this man drove his car in a reckless way. He was then attacked “pretty brutally” and was hit on the head with a concrete block.

The judge noted that Margarint sustained brain trauma and was hospitalised and still suffers from health problems as a result.

Judge Nolan said that Margarint, to his credit, pleaded guilty and cooperated as much as possible with the investigation. He said this man came to this jurisdiction to work, and he did so.

The judge said what he did was “stupid”. He said, “This court comes to the conclusion that it is very unlikely that he will reoffend in the future.”

Judge Nolan sentenced Margarint to three years in prison, which he suspended in full.