A former Irish boxing champion wept yesterday as he was jailed for three years for a savage attack on a woman outside a Dublin nightclub.
Glen Stephens, aged 26, of Manor Street, Dublin, left Ms Sinead Doyle with a broken nose, two black eyes and three broken teeth after an argument about who was next in line for a taxi, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
Stephens, who had boxed for Ireland at European level, claimed that he had been drinking for two days and could not remember attacking Ms Doyle. He pleaded guilty to assault causing harm outside Nightowls Nightclub in Ranelagh on November 9th, 1998.
Garda John O'Halloran said that previously Stephens beat up his girlfriend and he also had two convictions for breaching a barring order.
Mr Luan O Braonain, defending, told Judge Patrick McCartan that a man Stephens had punched outside a nightclub died after hitting his head on a pavement. He said Stephens believed he was protecting a woman from assault at the time.
Judge McCartan said £2,000 offered by Stephens as compensation to Ms Doyle was "an affront to the court and somewhat of an affront to the victim."
At a previous hearing Garda O'Halloran told Mr Patrick Marrinan SC, prosecuting, that Stephens pushed Ms Doyle out of the way while trying to get a taxi at 2.45a.m. She objected and he punched her in the face. She felt dizzy and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance.
Stephens said that he was "sincerely sorry" and would never hit any woman when he was in his right mind. He said he went to Ms Doyle's home to apologise.