8 YEARS IN PRISON FOR CITY UNPROVOKED ASSAULT

Date Published: 27-Jan-2012

A 51-year-old Dublin man was left fighting for his life following an unprovoked attack on him outside a pub in the city last year.

Shannon Walsh, with a former rental address at Lus Leana, Headford Road, pleaded guilty last November to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Edward Byrne at Abbeygate Street on May 13th, last year.

Walsh was sentenced to eight years in prison for the assault at Galway Circuit Criminal Court.

The victim’s skull was fractured in several places and he can no longer work or drive.

He suffers from memory loss, double vision and has lost his sense of taste and smell due to the attack.

Defence counsel, Bernard Condon, said Walsh suffered from ADHD and had problems all his life in accepting his mixed race background.

Judge Raymond Groarke said the unprovoked attack merited a 10-year sentence.

However, he said, given that Walsh had pleaded to the offence and due to his young age and deprived background, he would reduce that to eight years.

Three years of the total sentence Walsh is now serving was suspended.