A man who left a teenage Italian student permanently disabled in a wheelchair after hitting him on the right side of the head with a beer bottle has been remanded in custody for sentence.
Italian student, Guido Nasi, who was then just 17, suffered a blood clot under the skull outside of the brain which caused near-fatal but permanent physical injuries after he confronted a young boy over the disappearance of his wallet.
He spent two weeks in Beaumont Hospital before being transferred in a coma by air ambulance back to Turin. Dr John Caird described the condition that has confined the severely brain damaged young man to a wheelchair as irreversible.
James Osbourne (31), originally from Forth Road, East Wall, but now living in Ardilaun, Dublin 3, pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious harm to Mr Nasi at Annesley Bridge Road, Marino, Dublin on July 29th, 1999.
Osbourne's guilty plea came minutes before a jury was to be sworn in for his trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He has 18 previous convictions dating back to 1981.
Judge Elizabeth Dunne remanded him in custody overnight awaiting the conclusion of the case this afternoon after the victim has addressed the court.
Mr Patrick Gageby SC (with Mr Dominic McGinn), prosecuting, said Mr Nasi, who travelled from Turin especially for the trial, wished to be heard and needed the brief adjournment to prepare a statement for the court.
Garda Det Sgt William McKenna told Mr Gageby that Mr Nasi, who was in Ireland for the summer to learn English, and some Italian friends were playing with a ball and drinking some wine in Fairview Park on the night of the incident.
A few boys, aged around 14 to 15, joined the Italians in playing with the ball. After a short while they left and at this point Mr Nasi noticed his wallet was missing from his bag.
Det Sgt McKenna said Mr Nasi ran after the boys and caught up with one of them, grabbed him and demanded his wallet back.
Two other youths then came along and attempted to prevent Mr Nasi from holding on to the boy. He received a couple of blows to the head and face in this altercation but managed to free himself and pursued the boys again.
They left the park before Mr Nasi caught up with them on Annesley Bridge Road. He grabbed another boy and said he would call the garda∅.
Sgt McKenna said Osbourne then arrived on the scene and tried to intervene.
Mr Nasi told him the situation and Osbourne told the boy, who denied taking the wallet, to run off because of the threat of the garda∅ arriving. The altercation had moved back to the entrance of the park at this stage where it became more aggressive.
Mr Nasi let the boy go and turned away from Osbourne, who then hit him over the head with a half-full bottle of Budweiser, causing him to hit his head off the pavement.
A number of people witnessed the attack and Sgt McKenna said Mr Nasi would have been very recognisable at the time.
He was over six foot and had very distinguishable long "dreadlocked" hair , similar to that of the reggae singer Bob Marley.
Sgt McKenna said Mr Nasi was taken to the Mater Hospital shortly after 10.30 p.m. a little dazed but well enough to walk. His condition deteriorated significantly around midnight and he was transferred to Beaumont Hospital to be operated on.
Osbourne was arrested on August 6th, 1999, following a Garda investigation. He never denied the attack but initially refused to answer any questions on the advice of his solicitor. He later made a full statement and expressed remorse about the attack.
Mr Michael O'Higgins SC (with Mr Giollaisa O'Lideadha), for Osbourne, said his client was "deeply regrettable about the terrible, catastrophic injuries inflicted to Mr Nasi" and if he could turn back the clock he would.