By Brion Hoban
A teenager who punched another teenager who suffered a skull fracture and a brain bleed after hitting his head off the pavement has been jailed for three years.
Alan Clarke (18) punched the other teenage boy on the street, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head off the pavement. The parties did not know each other prior to the assault.
Clarke of Kilcross Lawn, Sandyford, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm at O’Connell Street, Dublin City centre, on March 7, 2020.
He has seven previous convictions, including convictions for robbery and aggravated burglary.
Garda Donal Cafferty told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that James Coady (19) was in the city centre on the date in question and did not have any memory of the incident.
Gda Cafferty said that witnesses to the offence saw Clarke punch Mr Coady in the chin as they were walking down the street.
Mr Coady fell to the ground and hit his head off the payment.
CCTV evidence showed that Clarke had aimed a kick at the victim’s stomach prior to punching him.
The court heard that the accused and the victim did not know each other.
Mr Coady was brought to hospital and was found to have a fracture to his skull and a bleed on his brain.
In January 2021 he suffered two epileptic seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy secondary to a traumatic brain injury.
In interview with gardaí following his arrest, Clarke accepted that he had assaulted Mr Coady.
He told gardaí he had been having a bad day and regretted the assault.
Gda Cafferty agreed with Daniel O’Connell BL, defending, that his client apologised for what he did in interview with gardaí and said the other person did not deserve it.
Mr O’Connell said his client had been at the funeral of a close friend who died of an overdose prior to the offence.
He said his client had taken both cocaine and Xanax on the date.
Counsel said his client struggles to understand why he attacked the victim.
He said his client was taken into care aged 12 and that both of his parents were drug addicts.
Judge Martin Nolan said the attack was “pretty cowardly, unprovoked and sudden”. He said the victim did not know he was going to be attacked and therefore could not take steps to defend himself.
Judge Nolan said if any person attacked another person in this way, it is “somewhat foreseeable” that the person would fall to the ground and sustain injury. He said the accused did not think about that.
He sentenced Clarke to three years imprisonment.