Jail for man who glassed his friend in the face

A man who glassed his friend in the face for no apparent reason, leaving him permanently scarred, has been jailed for one year.

Rodrigo Amaro (33) was drunk and high on liquid ecstasy and cannabis when he struck his friend, Eduardo Pereira, in the face with a glass at a Dublin bar, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Mr Pereira suffered a permanent scar to his face as a result of the unprovoked attack and he feels he is now viewed as a “troublemaker” as a result, the court heard. The pair are no longer friends.

Amaro, of Old Chocolate Factory, Kilmainham, Dublin, pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm to Mr Pereira at Ukiyo Bar, Exchequer Street on December 22, 2016.

He has four previous convictions for road traffic matters.

Sentencing Amaro today, Judge Elma Sheahan said:

“In December 2016, the accused glassed his friend in the face for no apparent reason other than that he was drunk.

“Although the accused has proffered an apology, the injured party doesn’t wish to accept it, which is understandable,” she said.

“It’s a very sad situation given the damage inflicted by the accused on his friend.”

The judge noted Mr Pereira now has a permanent facial scar as a result of the injury inflicted by Amaro.

She imposed a two-and-a-half year sentence but suspended the final 18 months on a number of conditions.

She backdated the sentence to July this year, when Amaro went into custody.

Pieter Le Vert BL, defending, said his client was “horrified” when he discovered the extent of the injuries he had caused to his friend. “He’s astounded at what he did.”

He said Amaro is no longer taking drugs and has submitted clean samples.

This is Amaro’s first time in custody and he has found it extremely difficult, the court heard.

Mr Le Vert said Amaro had a sum of €5750 in court as a token of remorse for Mr Pereira.

He raised this money through his savings and from his wife selling some of their valuables.