Dundalk court: Suspended sentence for Carlingford assault

A barber who carried out an unprovoked assault on another man in Carlingford over a perceived slight about being born in New York, was given a suspended sentence at Dundalk Circuit Court last week.

Eamon Sheelin (28) with an address at Rathcor, Riverstown pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at Dundalk Street, The Liberties, Carlingford on May 26th 2019.

The injured party told gardaí he was standing beside his friend, who was chatting to a taxi driver, when he was punched to the right-hand side of his head.

He fell to the ground and remembered a security guard handing him tissue.

He said he’d never seen the man who struck him before and on the advice of a Garda, after he reported the assault the next day, he attended Our Lady of Lourdes hospital for treatment.

The victim lost three teeth and suffered cuts to his nose and face.

The defendant told gardaí that a remark had been made in a local hotel about his t-shirt and when he said he was from New York, a comment was made in an American accent and he claimed that when he saw the two men outside, he approached and said it was bad form.

He claimed there was pushing at that stage and later, on seeing a relation being punched he ran down the street to get between them and this resulted in the punch.

He denied it was an unprovoked assault saying "he verbally abused me".

The defendant, who the court was told had used alcohol as a coping mechanism after the break-up of his relationship, has not come to garda attention apart from minor road traffic matters in the almost four years since the assault, and had €5,000 for the injured party as a token of his remorse.

Judge Dara Hayes noted he was assessed as being at low risk of reoffending and the Probation officer described it as a wake-up call.

He added the assault seems to be out of character.

Judge Hayes imposed a 20 month sentence which he suspended in full for two years on the defendant entering a bond to be of good behaviour.