Suspended sentence given to Tipperary man who beat another man unconscious on a dance floor

A Thurles man has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence for beating a man unconscious on a dancefloor.

James Donoghue, 20, of 1 Castlemeadows, Thurles, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at Hayes Hotel on October 31, 2022.

Garda Dara Rogers of Thurles Garda Station told Thurles District Court that at around 1:30am on the night of the incident, they received a report of a man unconscious on the dance floor at the hotel.

Garda Rogers said that when they arrived, the man had a “substantial amount of blood” on his head and beside him was a gold-knot ring.

“It was a substantial piece of metal, Judge,” said Garda Rogers. The court heard that the ring was collected for evidence, and the guards spoke with the defendant, who was outside the hotel.

The guard said he noted that the defendant appeared to be missing a ring.

The guard told the court that they had the benefit of “excellent footage” from the CCTV system, which showed a 45 second incident where the victim approached the defendant’s girlfriend, who immediately pushed him away.

The defendant then punched the victim and proceeded to strike a number of blows before the victim fell to the floor.

The guard told the court the footage was so clear they could see the ring.

He said it happened very fast, and there was no time for a conversation to take place. Mr Donoghue admitted to the guards that he had assaulted the defendant, who required six stitches to a cut above his eye and had “substantial” bruises on the side of his head and ear. The victim now bears a scar from the incident.

The solicitor for the defendant said their client was out celebrating his girlfriend’s birthday and was intoxicated.

They told the court that the victim had approached the defendant’s girlfriend three times.

“He feels he was trying to protect his girlfriend,” said the solicitor.

The solicitor said that the defendent was two years into a pre-apprenticeship course and asked that be taken into consideration.

THE DIFFICULTY

Judge Elizabeth MacGrath read and noted the complainant’s victim impact statement. She noted the defendant’s guilty plea, previous conviction, and his circumstances.

However, she said that the “difficulty” was that the defendant had a previous conviction for assault where he had been given the benefit of the probation act.

She said that she understood that he felt he was acting in defence of his girlfriend, but his actions went beyond what was necessary to protect her.

“Mr Donoghue continued to beat Mr Ryan when he was on the dancefloor. That was way over the top,” said Judge MacGrath.

The judge also said that the victim now has a scar to “remind him of the trauma”.

Judge MacGrath sentenced the defendant to six months in prison suspended for two years.

She told him that he needed to understand that if he committed another crime in those two years, he would serve the sentence.