A MAN who stabbed a publican in the leg, causing him serious injuries, after being ejected from his pub has been sentenced to four years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Brian McGeough (22), Rivervalley Road, Swords, stabbed Thomas Gaffney while being restrained outside the Waterside Pub in Howth. He pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Gaffney causing him harm on August 25th, 2007.
Mr Gaffney told Judge Katherine Delahunt that the doctor stitching his leg had stopped counting at 100 and that he had received three layers of stitches in the wound. He was now more conscious of dealing with awkward situations that might occur in the pub.
Judge Delahunt suspended the last year of the sentence on strict conditions, having taken into account McGeough’s early plea of guilty and “genuine remorse”.
She described it as a most serious offence. “You came armed with a knife and although there was evidence that you carry such an implement in the course of your work during the day, if you had it for a legitimate reason you would not have had it in your sock.”
She agreed with Pieter Le Vert defending, that there had been evidence that McGeough hid the knife because he was afraid he would not be allowed into the pub, but the judge said there was no evidence of security checks on the door. Det Garda Andrew Dignan agreed with Mr Le Vert that McGeough had been drinking extensively that afternoon and evening and had little recollection of the offence.