Suspended sentence for Donegal man who left friend needing metal plates in jaw

A man from Lifford has been given a 10-month suspended sentence at Derry Magistrate's Court for breaking his friend's jaw causing him to have metal plates inserted.

Gary Vanbeck (29) of Hazelwood Drive in Lifford admitted one charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm on a man on June 12 last year. The court heard that police were called to the Dungloe Bar after a report that a man had been assaulted. They found the injured party sitting outside holding ice to his jaw. 

He told police he had been assaulted by his friend, the defendant, with a blow to the jaw.  The police were told that there was 'banter' between the two that escalated into a verbal disagreement and they were asked to leave the bar.

As they were leaving Vanbeck hit the injured party on the jaw fracturing it in two places and the injured party spent three days in hospital. The defendant was found in the Diamond area and initially gave police a false name. 

Defence counsel Stephen Mooney said it was 'a terrible case' that had resulted in serious injury. He said Vanbeck had expressed remorse for striking his friend 'in anger and in a drink-fuelled rage.'

The barrister said that the defendant had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. District Judge Barney McElholm said that the case took him back to the days of what were known as 'one punch fatalities'. He said this case was similar but luckily there had not been any fatalities. 

He said that the case 'clearly crossed the custody threshold' and imposed a sentence of 10 months in prison suspended for three years.