‘Feral youth’ jailed over glassing of innocent passerby

A “feral youth” who glassed an innocent passerby in the face when he “overreacted” to seeing an altercation involving his sister has received a partially suspended three-year sentence.

Dylan Murphy (20) told gardaí­ he had hit the victim with a pint glass because he was the first man he’d seen after the incident with his sister in Dublin city centre.

He later admitted he had “snapped” and overreacted “out of pure rage”.

Murphy, of Marrowbone Lane, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Jonathan Cooley causing him harm at Dame Court on May 24th, 2015.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen iPod at the same location on the same date. He has 24 previous convictions, including four assaults.

Garda Elaine Murtagh said the victim, who now has facial scars and suffered flashbacks, had forgiven Murphy but hoped he did not assault anyone else in future.

Difficult upbringing

Garda Murtagh agreed with Justin McQuade BL, defending, that Murphy could be described as a “feral youth” who had had a very difficult upbringing, with periods of homelessness as a teenager.

Judge Melanie Greally noted Murphy's large number of assault convictions and that the injured party would have permanent scarring.

She suspended the last 18 months of the sentence for three years and ordered that Murphy undergo post-release supervision.

Garda Murtagh told Ronan Kennedy BL, prosecuting, that Mr Cooley had been walking through Dame Lane in the early hours of the morning when he saw an incident involving two males and a female.

Murphy then ran up and glassed Mr Cooley in the face.

Garda Murtagh said Murphy initially evaded arrest and ran off after he had been pointed out to her by the victim, who was bleeding from cuts to his neck, lip, nose and between his eyebrows.

Murphy was chased down a short distance away and taken to a Garda station, where he made admissions.

He was found with an iPod which had been taken from a bag belonging to another male at Dame Court. Murphy had handed this bag back to the man at the scene.

‘Cruising around’

He told gardaí­ he had been “cruising around town” that weekend and hit the man after he had seen his sister being picked up off the ground.

He accepted he had not seen his victim touch his sister, but at the time he had believed he was standing up for her.

Mr McQuade submitted to Judge Greally that his client had no addiction problems but needed anger management therapy.

He said Murphy was “crying out for supervision” and that he was quite bright and engaging, despite his difficult and tragic background.