A US pilot who was in Dublin resting between flights was struck on the head with a broken golf club in an unprovoked assault, a court has heard.
Alfred Anderson (40) said he was “lucky to be wearing a hat” when he was attacked by a Lithuanian man who mistook him for someone else.
Mr Anderson underwent an emergency CAT scan and was unable to fly his plane back to New York after the incident on April 10th, 2013. He suffered from headaches and bouts of light headedness for weeks following the attack.
Garret Baker BL, prosecuting, said Mr Anderson was down €5,513 in lost wages because of the injury.
Tomas Vilkas (20) was sentenced to two years in prison with the final six months suspended at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Vilkas of Cabra Park, Phibsborough, Dublin pleaded guilty to assault causing harm on Drumcondra Road Lower.
Judge Carmel Stewart noted from the victim impact report that the assault had seriously affected Mr Anderson on a number of levels.
However she said it was fortunate his injuries had not been more serious.
Judge Stewart also noted that Vilkas had voluntarily come to the Garda station and had taken full responsibility for the offence.
Garda Declan Cushell told the court Mr Anderson had been walking along Drumcondra Road Lower when he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head.
He managed to get away, but saw Vilkas and three others walking into a house on Whitworth Place.
The occupant of the house told gardaí later that a group of men, whom he believed to be Romanian, had smashed a window of his house earlier that night. He phoned his friends, including Vilkas, to come over and “sort those Romanians out”.
Vilkas went to gardaí the following day and said he had been very drunk the previous night. He said a fight had broken out between himself and group of Romanians armed with sticks.
He picked up a broken aluminium golf club and hit one of the men who he thought was one of the Romanians. “I only found out now it wasn’t a Romanian but some American. It was accidental,” he said, apologising to Mr Anderson.
Vilkus has seven previous convictions from Lithuania, including theft, disorderly conduct and robbery. The court heard Vilkas gave a false name on arrest and was recently arrested on a European Arrest Warrant for a prosecution in Lithuania.
Mark Lynam BL, defending, said Vilkas expressed remorse for a “stupid and misguided attempt” to protect his friend’s house.
“His vigilantism backfired spectacularly,” he said.