Anthony Ainscough’s 20-month prison sentence suspended in full

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Anthony Ainscough, 39, received a 20-month prison sentence, suspended in full, for assault causing harm after punching an off-duty garda in a Dublin nightclub. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the assault occurred on December 11, 2022. Ainscough pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm. The proceedings were reported on December 1, 2025.

Judge Martin Nolan said the injured man lost a tooth and suffered a fractured nose. Ainscough had €12,600 in court as a token of remorse. The judge said €10,000 was to be paid within two weeks and the remaining €2,600 over three months; if the injured man did not want the money, it could be donated to a local charity.

The court heard that Ainscough was on bail at the time of the assault. The injured man, who was socialising with his wife and friends, was grabbed and pushed before Ainscough returned and struck him in the face. Detective Garda Kerry O’Sullivan agreed with defence counsel that Ainscough did not know the injured man was an off-duty garda at the time.