A 54-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in jail with two suspended for an assault on former Republic of Ireland and Nottingham Forest soccer player, Miah Dennehy which left him incapable of independent living.
David Naughton from Avonmore Park, Mayfield, Cork had denied assault causing serious harm to Mr Dennehy outside the Fob and Gill pub in Mayfield on August 17th 2007 but a jury took just 17 minutes to find him guilty of the offence after a three day trial.
Sentencing Naughton at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Sean O Donnabhain described the attack as "a vicious, premeditated and violent assault" which betrayed a shocking level of violence for a man of Naughton’s years.
Judge O Donnabhain pointed out that Naughton had punched Mr Dennehy in the face and that he had fell back and hit his head off the ground with such considerable force that he suffered a severe brain injury which meant he could no longer lead an independent life.
Det Sgt Sean O’Regan had outlined the background to the case in which Naughton, who described himself as "a buddy" of Mr Dennehy, had been drinking off and on in the Fob and Gill pub since 11.30am on the day in question and had consumed around eight pints.
Mr Dennehy had entered the pub around 4.30pm and had consumed three or four pints and a row had broken out between them over an incident a fortnight earlier involving a friend of Mr Dennehy’s and Naughton and when Mr Dennehy left the pub, Naughton followed him.
Naughton hit Mr Dennehy in the face, knocking him back and he hit his head on the ground and Naughton could be seen on the CCTV footage standing over him pointing down and was heard to say "Don’t you fucking slag me again’ before returning to bar to finish his drink.
Naughton later emerged from the pub and purported to know nothing about what happened as an ambulance removed Mr Dennehy to Cork University Hospital where he remained in a serious condition in intensive care for three weeks and had two blood clots removed.
Det Sgt O’Regan said that Mr Dennehy later went to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire and was now attending brain injury assistance group, Headway in Ballincollig but he needed care from his wife and family and could not lead an independent life.
Judge O Donnabhain noted that Naughton had admitted striking Mr Dennehy but he rejected a contention put forward in his defence that his behaviour on the evening stemmed from the fact that he was a diabetic and was hypoglycmic at the time which led him to being confused.
Judge O Donnabhain said that the assault owed more to Naughton’s temper and drinking than to diabetes which he had used "to spin a web of confusion" about the assault on Mr Dennehy whom he left lying on the ground to go back into the pub.
"This was a very serious assault which has had permanently serious debilitating effects on the victim who will never be the same again," said Judge O Donnabhain who noted a Victim Impact Statement on Mr Dennehy’s behalf confirming his loss of independence.
He sentenced Naughton, who had no previous convictions for any violent crime, to six years in jail with the final two years suspended on condition that he be of good behaviour, stay out of pubs in Cork city and remain sober in public places.
Mr Dennehy became the first man to score a hat-trick in an FAI Cup Final in Cork Hibernians 3-0 win over Waterford in 1972 and he later moved cross-channel and played with Notts Forest, Walsall and Bristol Rovers while also winning 11 caps with the Republic of Ireland.