Man jailed for five years over punches that caused brain injury

A Wicklow man has been jailed for five years for punching a man and leaving him with lifelong brain injuries after the victim allegedly called him a “Paki.”

Gerard McManus fell to the ground in Temple Bar after been punched by Aaron O'Donoughoe (21). The court heard O'Donoughoe then lifted up his victim's head and punched him again.

Mr McManus suffered bleeding and swelling on the brain. It was initially thought he had made a good recovery from the injury but a later assessment showed his balance and ability to process visual and spoken information had been severely impacted.

He has intermittent headaches, can no longer concentrate for long periods and requires daily care. He now lives with his mother.

O’Donoughoe, of Redford Park, Greystones, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing serious harm in Temple Bar on April 20th, 2014.

‘Lost the plot’

When gardaí­ put it to O’Donoughoe that he allegedly hit Mr McManus, O’Donoughoe replied: “Not allegedly. I f**king did hit him, like.”

O’Donoughoe said he “lost the plot when he called me a Paki and he said he was going to stick a needle in my neck”. O’Donoughoe admitted he was also “giving it back” to Mr McManus.

He said he had told Mr McManus numerous times he was going to “kick his head in” because the victim was “pestering” him about giving him a can of cider.

Prosecuting counsel Rosin Lacey SC said the Director of Public Prosecutions viewed the offence as being on the upper end of the scale of seriousness. Judge Martin Nolan noted this offence had been judged by the Court of Appeal to be deserving of a sentence of up to 12½ years.

He imposed a five-year term after taking into account O’Donoughoe’s difficult background and clear remorse. He said the accused did not intend to cause a brain injury.

Witnesses later saw O’Donoughoe tell others “I knocked him out cold”. When an ambulance arrived the accused told paramedics: “I did it. I can’t believe I hit him so hard. I hope he’s okay.”

When arrested, he told gardaí­ he had punched Mr McManus a second time while he was semi-conscious on the ground, adding, “It’s a scummy thing, I know.”

Defence counsel, Sean Gillane SC said O’Donoughoe was a man with his own problems who lived a sort of “street life” around the Temple Bar area. He said he came from a difficult background and was in residential care as a child.