A 20-year-old has been jailed for three years for stabbing a man eight times, after a dispute in a pub in Thomondgate, in November 2010. Stephen Byrne of Ballygrennan Road, Ballynanty was before Judge Carroll Moran after he pleaded guilty to assault causing harm of 36 year- old John Walsh at Altimera Terrace, Thomondgate, on the night of November 24, 2010. Byrne, then aged 18, was playing pool in Quilty’s bar in the area and was confronted by what defence senior counsel, Anthony Salmon, as the the “provocation” and “threatening behaviour” of the injured party who he said “behaved badly” during the incident.
Judge Carroll Moran heard that the injured man had been drinking in the pub and was hitting the pool cue of the accused man as he played pool. The court heard that the two “squared up to each other” and that the injured party pushed is head into the face of the accused.
A dispute broke out but Walsh left the pub and this was captured on CCTV footage. A few moments later, shortly after 10pm, Byrne left the pub and followed Walsh around the corner to Altimera Terrace. A fight broke out and Walsh suffered eight stab wounds to the groin, arm, shoulder and mid section inflicted by the accused who was in possession of a knife.
Deep lacerations were the result of the knife attack and the court heard that the injured man required surgical repair to his abdomen.
Byrne, after the incident, left the scene and ran to his mothers house nearby and hid the knife under the couch in the front room and changed his clothes.
Gardai later arrived on scene and found the accused man in his mother’s house, sitting in the front room and noticed that the washing machine was running.
Under interview, Byrne made certain admissions to his involvement in the incident but it was the suggestion that the injured man made lunges towards the accused after Byrne produced the knife in the course of the fight.
Judge Carroll Moran said that he gave credit to the accused for his guilty plea and admissions of involvement. He acknowledged the defence claim that the accused man was subjected to considerable provocation during the incident in the pub but added that the accused shouldn’t be “going around with a knife”. The judge added that the accused man was lucky not to be facing more serious charges of manslaughter at the Central Criminal Court given the gravity of the injuries Mr Walsh received.
Stephen Byrne was then sentenced to three years in prison on count two of assault causing harm to John Walsh.
