A Lithuanian man's head was jumped on as he lay on the ground during an altercation with a group of Irish men, a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury heard yesterday.
Michael Rae (20), Barry Road, Finglas, Dublin and Leigh O'Connell (19), Redbridge House, Blackmore Lane, Dublin have pleaded not guilty to violent disorder, assault causing harm to Vytautas Sukys, assault causing harm to Sigitas Ziezdrys and intention to cause serious harm to Mr Sukys at Royal Canal Bank, Phibsboro on September 25th, 2004.
Fergal Foley, prosecuting, told the jury that a number of Lithuanians living in Dublin left their flat in Phibsboro on a Saturday evening to go to an off-licence to buy beer. He said that as Mr Ziezdrys, who was walking with one other man, headed back towards his flat he saw young men near the canal. The youths asked him for a can of beer and he threw one to them. Mr Foley said the can fell to the ground and burst and a scuffle ensued.
Mr Ziezdrys and his friend moved away from the incident and met Mr Sukys and another friend. The four Lithuanian men then encountered the group of Dublin men again and another confrontation took place.
Mr Foley said Mr Sukys was knocked to the ground and kicked. Mr Ziezdrys was also assaulted, but in a less serious manner.
He said there would be forensic evidence that some blood was found on Mr O'Connell's footwear and on Mr Rae's tracksuit bottoms and DNA would show the blood was the same type as Mr Sukys's.
Giving evidence via an interpreter, Mr Ziezdrys told Mr Foley that a fight broke out with the youths. Asked who started it he said: "I think it was them, I can't tell exactly, it was them, one of them started the fight.
"Vytautas was on the ground, some of them were beating him all the time. They were jumping on his head, they were kicking him and they were punching him." Mr Ziezdrys said he himself was punched and suffered bruising and a broken nose.
The trial continues.