A TEENAGER who smashed a glass in the face of a schoolboy leaving him permanently blind in his left eye has been jailed for three years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Justin Cullinan (19), Knocklyon Mews, Templeogue, Dublin, had pleaded guilty at a previous sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to the teenager at the Portobello bar on February 8th, 2008. Yesterday’s proceedings dealt with sentencing by the judge.
The two teenagers were among a large group of youths who were out celebrating their mid-term break in a city centre nightclub.
Cullinan had claimed that he threw a pint glass at the then 16-year-old because he perceived himself to be under threat. He denied he had actually punched the victim with it.
There had been “an atmosphere of tension” as there had been a rugby match that day between two Dublin schools.
Judge Katherine Delahunt said Cullinan’s response to the perceived threat was “disproportionate in any circumstances” and a victim impact report made for sad reading. The case was a tragedy for both families, but a custodial sentence was appropriate.
Det Garda Brian Sheerin told Shane Costelloe, prosecuting, that the assault was so serious that an incident room was set up at a Garda station and more than 300 statements were taken during the investigation. The majority of those witnesses were under age and had been attending an over-18s nightclub.
He said the victim went upstairs in the nightclub and noted that a school friend was surrounded by a group of four boys from another school. There was raised voices and general slagging so he turned around to see if there was a space that he could move back to to avoid the situation.
Det Garda Sheerin said it was at this stage that the glass was smashed in his face. The teenager later told gardaí that the person who hit him had been one of the four who had been surrounding his friend moments earlier.
The boy described himself as being punched with the glass and said it broke around the bridge of his nose in between his eyes.
He could not open them after the impact but initially thought this was due to grit or dirt. He was taken to the Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital were he immediately had surgery.
Det Garda Sheerin said Cullinan was later arrested and accepted that he had struck the teenager, but claimed he had thrown the glass rather than physically smashed it in his face.
He said he thought “something was going to happen” and felt that he had behaved in an appropriate manner to defend himself.