A YOUNG Dublin man who kicked a Lithuanian cyclist in the face and fractured his jaw has been jailed for 18 months.
Garda Ronan O’Reilly said he and a colleague saw a shirtless Ian Finn (20) chase the cyclist on foot to a Clontarf Road Spar shop and heard “a loud crack” as the assailant kicked his victim in the face.
Finn, of Casino Park, Marino, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Janis Anderson causing him harm in the early hours of June 30th, 2008.
Mr O’Reilly told Ms Martina Baxter, prosecuting, that Finn has nine previous District Court convictions for road traffic offences but Finn gave evidence that someone else had submitted his name and address for them.
Mr O’Reilly told Ms Baxter that he saw Finn chase Mr Anderson to the Spar shop, punch him, push him up against the wall and then kick him in the face when he got tangled up in the bicycle.
Mr O’Reilly said Mr Anderson, who was also drunk on the night and gave no victim impact statement because gardaí cannot trace him, was kicked unconscious but later declined to go in an ambulance called to the scene.
He attended hospital several days after the incident and underwent surgery to fix his fractured jaw.
Judge Delahunt said while she accepted Finn’s remorse, she would not view being intoxicated as an excuse for the “vicious” late-night, unprovoked attack.