A High Court judge yesterday held that it was a "reckless, negligent and dangerous" act for security staff of a Co Dublin nightclub to hit a man in the face with a blunt instrument so forcefully that he was effectively blinded in his right eye.
However, in the light of his finding that Mr John Hackett was the "ringleader" of an incident outside Marley's nightclub in Rathfarnham, Mr Justice Peart halved an award of €100,000. He held that Mr Hackett was 50 per cent responsible.
Mr Hackett had taken his proceedings against Calla Associates Ltd and Christopher O'Reilly, the licence-holder of Marley's.
Mr Richard McDonnell SC, for Mr Hackett, had submitted that his client had sustained a very serious injury to his right eye and the areas surrounding it as a result of a blow from a blunt instrument which was wielded by a bouncer employed at the premises in the early hours of January 13th, 1996.
In his reserved judgment yesterday, Mr Justice Peart said the defendants denied that any baton or blunt instrument was used when bouncers came out of the premises to break up a crowd causing trouble
The judge granted a stay on the award pending an appeal. Mr Seán Moylan SC, for the defence, said the matter would be fully fought in the Supreme Court.