Guilty plea entered following late-night assault in Limerick

A PROBATION report is to be prepared in the case of a man who struck another man with a glass bottle during a late-night incident in the city centre.

The victim, sustained a laceration to his head which required a number of stitches.

Diarmuid Coonerty, aged 28, of Garryowen Road, St John's,  Limerick has pleaded guilty to a charge of assault relating to an incident which occurred in the Denmark Street area in the early hours of April 21, 2019.

Sergeant Sean Murray told Limerick District Court an altercation occurred between a number of people at around 2.30am and that CCTV shows the defendant brandishing a piece of glass and "driving at" the injured party.

He said Mr Coonerty, who has a number of previous convictions, cooperated with investigating gardai when questioned about the incident.

Solicitor Sarah Ryan said her client was on a night our with friends (pre-Covid) and that he mistakenly believed one of his friends was going to be assaulted.

"As he saw it there was going to be an assault on his friend and he was not going to allow that to happen," she said adding that he had a bottle in his hand before the assault occurred.

Ms Ryan said her client has had difficulties with alcohol and drugs in the past but that he is no longer drinking or using drugs. "2018 and 2019 were not good, he should have known better," said Ms Ryan.

Adjourning the matter to June, to facilitate the preparation of a probation report, Judge Patricia Harney commented that what happened was a "bit nasty".