A man who bit off a piece of another man's nose in a drink- and drug-fuelled fight over a missing €50 was jailed for four years today by Judge Frank O'Donnell at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Eric Jackson (22), with an address at Cross Avenue, Dún Laoghaire and his friend Stephen Griffin returned from an "early house" after spending the night drinking and taking cocaine to an apartment at Eden Park in Dún Laoghaire where Richie Halligan was asleep on the couch.
Garda Mark Russell told Mr Justin Dillon BL, prosecuting, that a fight started after they accused him of taking €50 from the table and Jackson smashed a mug over his nose.
Both Jackson and Griffin began to kick and punch him and witnesses said Jackson bit Mr Halligan in the nose.
Jackson then picked up a piece of Mr Halligan's nose from the floor and threw it out the window.
Mr Halligan left the apartment with his face covered in blood and walked for 15 minutes before reaching St Michael's Hospital, where the gardaí were called.
Jackson pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Halligan causing him serious harm on February 15th, 2003. Griffin (23), from Auburn Avenue, Dún Laoghaire, received a three-month suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to assault.
Judge O'Donnell suspended the final year of the four-year sentence after he was told Jackson had brought €5,000 to court but said because of the nature of the attack on Mr Halligan he had to impose a custodial sentence.
"It is not the mistakes we make in life but we have to deal with the consequences of those mistakes and the consequences for Mr Halligan are quite severe. There is no doubt that his life has turned upside down and he can't work as a result.
Gda Russell said Mr Halligan underwent a skin graft on his nose by a surgeon in the Blackrock Clinic but it wouldn't hold and subsequently fell off. They eventually succeeded in a skin graft and he was due to undergo further cosmetic surgery in the coming months.
Mr Halligan told the court that he had never experienced anything like it and was in complete shock following the assault.