Man suffered critical head accidents after one-punch assault outdoors Donegal bar, court docket hears

A person who walked out of a Co Donegal bar with one other man to settle their variations left his sufferer with critical head accidents following a one-punch assault, a court docket has heard.

Sean Breen appeared at Donegal Circuit Courtroom following the assault of Damian McFadden outdoors the Atlantic Bar in Buncrana.

The 30-year-old man pleaded responsible to assault inflicting harm within the August 9, 2019 assault.

Garda Michael Rafferty outlined particulars of the case.

Stunning CCTV footage of the incident was performed in court docket, exhibiting the total extent of the incident.

The defendant and one other man are seen getting into the bar in town’s foremost road and Breen begins to have phrases with Mr McFadden.

The three males went out and phrases had been exchanged between the accused and the sufferer earlier than Breen punched Mr McFadden within the face together with his left hand.

The sufferer is seen falling backwards and hitting his head earlier than shedding consciousness.

Garda Rafferty mentioned Gardaí arrived on the scene and located ambulance workers there very eager to take Mr McFadden to hospital following the assault.

He spoke of an eyewitness who mentioned Mr McFadden was “out of query with blood popping out of his mouth”.

Mr McFadden began to return and was rushed to hospital, however he didn’t bear in mind the incident, saying he didn’t perceive why Gardaí needed particulars from him.

Mr McFadden was launched from hospital at 1.20am on August 10.

Nevertheless, the court docket was advised that the following day he didn’t really feel effectively, had head ache and was unwell.

He was rushed again to Letterkenny College Hospital, however was despatched to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, the place he spent virtually two weeks being handled for a critical head harm earlier than being launched on August 22.

CCTV of the incident was uploaded and native Garda Detective Jason Conroy recognized Sean Breen on the scene.

Breen, of Marianus Park, Hazel Financial institution in Derry, was arrested and questioned and admitted assaulting Mr McFadden following a disagreement over somebody they each knew.

The court docket was additionally advised that Mr McFadden died on January 17, 2022, however that this was unrelated to the incident earlier than the court docket.

Garda Rafferty mentioned Breen had a number of earlier convictions in Northern Eire for widespread assault, harmful driving, missing insurance coverage, taking a automobile with out consent and failing to cease for police, however had not no convictions on this jurisdiction.

Counsel for the accused, Mr Shane Costelloe, SC, mentioned the proof recommended the mind harm was not the results of the punch however of the autumn following which Mr McFadden suffered. his head was hit.

Mr Costelloe mentioned his shopper had mentioned in the course of the interview that he had consumed numerous alcohol and felt threatened in the course of the encounter.

Mr Costelloe quoted his shopper as saying: “I felt threatened and I used to be simply defending myself.”

He added that this incident occurred when he was a youthful man and he has not appeared in court docket since 2014.

He mentioned that that night his shopper was 24, drunk and had simply damaged up together with his then-girlfriend.

Due to this, he had gone from somebody who not often drank to somebody who “went off the rails”, Mr Costelloe mentioned, and on the evening he received it into his head that there was dangerous blood between a mutual pal and Mr. McFadden.

He added that Breen could be very ashamed of what he did and that the burden of his actions weighs very closely on him as he undergoes psychological well being remedy in Northern Eire.

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He added that whereas it was not an excuse, he was eager to emphasize that it was in actual fact a one-punch assault and was not adopted by any “savagery » akin to kicks to the top.

The defendant works full time as a landscaper and has three kids.

Mr Costelloe pleaded with Decide Aylmer to contemplate a sentence that may permit him to be placed on a path that may permit him to proceed to be a father and a member of society and have the ability to reward what he has performed, a declared his shopper. can stay law-abiding.

Decide Aylmer mentioned he would research the matter and hand down his sentence subsequent week.