A man has been jailed for two years for an assault which left the victim so traumatised that he dropped out of his college course and didn't get his degree.
Dean Fitzpatrick (28) punched David Curran as he was leaving a fast food restaurant at the end of a night out in Dublin city. The victim said that the last thing he remembered before waking up in hospital was walking out onto Grafton Street.
Fitzpatrick of Pearse Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm at Grafton Street on February 15th, 2017.
Mr Curran was treated for a broken nose, three fractures in his jaw and a fracture above his eye. He needed surgery to insert plates into his jaw and received many stitches to his face to cuts from the attack and to wounds that were necessary because of the surgery.
Counselling
In a victim impact statement he stated that he had attended for counselling after the assault. He said he had previous mental health problems but his anxiety and depression significantly increased because of the attack.
Mr Curran said his social life has been “hit hard” and he had dropped out of college. “I lost out on my degree,” the statement continued.
He said he had a number of teeth removed, had spent seven months recovering and still has nerve damage at the back of his head which he hit when he fell after being punched by Fitzpatrick.
Judge Melanie Greally suspended the final 12 months of a sentence of a three and a half years imprisonment on condition that Fitzpatrick engage with the Probation Services for 12 months and particularly with addiction treatment.
College night out
Garda Paul Jordan told Antonia Boyle BL, prosecuting, that when he arrived on the scene Mr Curran had blood coming from his nose and mouth and found it difficult to speak.
Mr Curran's friend later told gardaí that he was outside McDonalds on Grafton Street when he heard some roaring and shouting before he saw someone hitting the victim. He said Mr Curran “fell like a sack of potatoes” and he called an ambulance.
Gda Jordan said Mr Curran had been on a college night out during which they went to a nightclub. He and some friends headed to McDonalds afterwards for food and he was chatting to a group of girls he had been speaking to earlier in the night.
Mr Curran decided to head home and left McDonalds. He said the “last thing I remembered is walking out the door before waking up in James Street hospital”.
Gda Jordan said Fitzpatrick's 70 previous convictions include assault, theft, public order and road traffic offences
