Electrician bit a man in the face during a row in a Louth hotel

An electrician who bit another man in the face during a row at a north Louth hotel, has been given a suspended sentence at Dundalk Circuit Court.

Ryan Murphy (30) of Friary Road, Mowhan, Armagh, who has no previous convictions, admitted a charge of assault causing harm arising out of the incident at the Carrickdale Hotel, Carrickarnan on March 28th 2016.

The injured party, who had been socialising with friends, told gardaí the defendant, who he recognised from Clady, accused him of hitting his mother’s car and driving off and began swinging punches towards the victim’s friends.

The complainant said the defendant then came at him and they fell over a chair and he bit him hard on the face although the victim was not scarred and bruising went away after a couple of weeks.

A bench warrant was issued when he failed to appear in the district court in October 2017.

The Defence barrister said it was “a nasty enough incident” which his client "has no recollection” of and the father of three was deeply inebriated at the time and was deeply embarrassed and shocked by his behaviour.

Judge Dara Hayes, who adjourned the case to find out if the victim wanted to accept €1,500 in court, said it was an opportunity for the defendant to “deepen his gesture of remorse”.

Last Wednesday, the court heard that the sum had been doubled and the money was accepted by the injured party.

Judge Hayes noted it was almost a decade since the assault, which he was treating as being out of character for the defendant who had not come to adverse attention in the interim.

He added the absence of permanent injury, allowed him to suspend in its entirety the sentence he was imposing of two years and three months, on the defendant entering a good behaviour bond.