Courts / Dublin / Report

Victim left blind in one eye after guitar attack by former boxer

Summary

Thomas Finnegan, 36, of Tallaght, was found guilty by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury of assault causing serious harm and the production of an article in the form of a guitar at an Applegreen service station on 22 June 2023. The attack left the victim blind in his left eye, with the eye shrunken and the loss of sight likely permanent. CCTV footage showed Finnegan striking the victim with a guitar after a brief departure from the scene. Finnegan has 38 prior convictions, including assault, criminal damage, public order and road traffic offences. Judge Jonathan Dunphy sentenced him to nine years for the assault, suspending the final eighteen months, and to three and a half years for the article, suspending the final twelve months; both sentences run concurrently. He will be supervised by probation services for two years after release. The sentence was back‑dated to the date of his arrest.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Victim left blind in one eye after guitar attack by former boxer. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty

When:

• June 22, 2023 Incident
• 2024-12-09 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Public Order Road Traffic Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report