City man jailed for assaults on intellectually disabled men

Gary Walsh, with an address at An Sean Bhaile, Doughiska, pleaded guilty to assaulting the men, who are in their early 20’s, at Cill Ronáin, Inis Mór on August 6, 2011.

The vulnerable young men are patients of the Brothers of Charity in Galway city, due to their intellectual disabilities.

Det Sgt Mick Staunton gave evidence at Galway Circuit Criminal Court that Walsh arranged to meet the men on Inis Mór.

They all met up in a wooded area at the rear of a school in Cill Ronáin where the accused began drinking.

Walsh grabbed his first victim and burnt the back of his hand with a lit cigarette.

It caused severe pain and blistering and Walsh just laughed when the victim asked him why he was doing it.

Walsh continued drinking and blamed the other young victim present when he stumbled against a tree and tore his shirt.

He punched this victim repeatedly in the face and kicked him repeatedly when he fell to the ground.

The victim could not get get up for some time due to his injuries but after a time the men walked to the Garda Station.

Gardaí took this victim to the island doctor, but due to the severity of his injuries, he had to be transferred by Lifeboat to the mainland and by ambulance from there to hospital.

Prosecuting barrister, Conor Fahy, said the victims were in court accompanied by their fathers and their social worker and were still very afraid of the accused.

Defence Counsel Geri Silke said her client suffered from poor interpersonal skills and had been addicted to alcohol and prescribed medication.

She said he was now attending an addiction counsellor and receiving treatment at Cuan Mhuire.

Justice Raymond Groarke sentenced Walsh to four years in prison for what he described as “violent, gratuitous and terrifying” assaults.

The judge suspended the final 18 months of the sentence on strict conditions.