Elderly man was assaulted by a 15-year-old and "left defenceless on the ground"

AN ELDERLY man who was assaulted by a 15-year-old while out for a walk was “punched forcefully” up to 12 times and the assault continued when he was on his knees “defenseless on the ground.”

Sentencing in Limerick Circuit Court has been adjourned for a juvenile who has pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, along with two other charges of burglary and violent disorder. 

The court heard that on August 12, 2024, a then 78-year-old man was walking on the Great Southern Trail on the Limerick Greenway near Rathkeale when he was violently assaulted by a 15-year-old.  

The victim had undergone a quadruple bypass and used to walk the route near his home regularly, as part of his recovery efforts. 

The man declined to give a victim impact statement and was aware of the sentencing, but chose not to attend. 

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On the day, the injured party was out for a walk at around 6.15pm. He saw three girls walking towards him and one of them, who appeared to be intoxicated and was being held up by the others, had fallen and he asked if she  had hit her head. 

The injured party was a retired gentleman who had been trained as a first responder. 

Detective Sergeant Michael Reidy gave evidence that “his only interaction was to express concern”.

The court heard that a young boy, a brother of the accused, appeared and said to the injured party: “Would you ever f**k off, she’s my sister.”

The injured party was allegedly punched by the younger boy, who has been dealt with through the courts by way of a juvenile liaison officer. 

Detective Sergeant Reidy said that the older man pushed the boy as he feared he would strike him again. 

“It wasn’t a forceful push, but just to create distance between them,” Det Sgt Reidy said. 

The boy, aged 15, then got involved and told the injured party: “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

Det Sgt Reidy said that the injured party was struck on the left and right hand side of his head with “solid punches”.

“He could feel pain straight away and could feel his left eye closing. After three punches, he was on his knees. There were up to 10 or 12 punches in total, they were full force and he was defenseless and in pain,” Det Sgt Reidy said. 

He added: “The assault continued when he was defenseless on the ground.”

The court heard that the juvenile, 15, told the injured party after the assault: “He’s my brother, we back each other up.”

Photographs of the injuries sustained in the assault were shown to Judge Sinead McMullan. 

“He was bleeding quite heavily. Both of his eyes were covered in blood and he was bleeding from the left ear,” Det Sgt Reidy said. 

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The court heard that a paramedic who lived nearby was on the scene very quickly and the injured party was taken to University Hospital Limerick by ambulance and was admitted overnight. 

The man had to get stitches over both of his eyes, his jaw was swollen and he had stitches on his left ear. He also had bruises on his arms and stomach. 

Det Sgt Reidy said: “The elderly man was subjected to a horrific ordeal.”

Barrister for the  defendant Kenneth Kerins BL,  said that while admissions were not made at an early stage, the guilty plea avoids a trial. He said: “It’s egregious and there's no justification for that.”