A Galway hurling club selector who split a player's head open with a hurley will do community service instead of a four-month prison sentence, Judge Harvey Kenny indicated yesterday.
Given that the families involved are neighbours, the two parishes are fairly close and the victim did not want to see the accused going to prison, Judge Kenny said he would address the case by way of a community service order and adjourned the appeal to May 18th to await a probation report.
The judge criticised the GAA for not disciplining players and officials after hearing of the assault and of a player who told the referee to "f*** off" and waved a hurley at him when asked for his name.
Galway County Board chairman, Mr Frank Burke, assured the judge the organisation would deal with people involved in such incidents.
Turloughmore Hurling Club selector John Burke (38), from Coolarne, Turloughmore, Co Galway, had been sentenced to four months in prison at Athenry District Court for assaulting Mr Christy Burke (no relation), a player on the opposing Annaghdown team, during a Galway city league final played at Turloughmore on February 15th last year.
He appealed the sentence to the Circuit Court where last week Judge Kenny ordered the chairmen of the county board and Turloughmore Hurling Club to come before him and explain what steps they were taking to curb violence on the pitch.
Judge Kenny was told yesterday that the Galway County Board knew nothing about the assault until Mr Burke, read a local newspaper report of the assault case.
The judge said he suspected the whole incident had been "swept under the carpet" and people present at the match should have reported it to the county board, if the referee had not done so.
"This must have been known to a lot of people; that a player was assaulted by a selector and was brought to hospital.
"I suspect things were swept under the carpet, " he said.