Eugene Hanratty Senior loses appeals against assault conviction and sentence

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

Eugene Hanratty Senior was sentenced to four years in prison, with the final year suspended, for assault causing harm to Martin McAllister. The sentencing was reported on 8 November 2022.

Hanratty had pleaded not guilty to assault causing harm at Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, on 24 November 2012. A jury convicted him following a trial in October 2022, his third trial for the offence.

Judge Melanie Greally described the assault as unprovoked and premeditated. She rejected Hanratty’s expression of remorse, saying it concerned the consequences for him rather than the victim.

On 21 March 2024, the Court of Appeal dismissed Hanratty’s appeals against both conviction and sentence. His lawyers had argued that the case should have been withdrawn from the jury because of alleged failings in the Garda investigation, including lost materials and a possible error over the location of the scene.

Justice George Birmingham said the trial judge was correct to leave the case with the jury and that the arguments raised did not cause the appeal court to doubt the fairness of the trial or the safety of the verdict. The court also found no basis to conclude that the sentence was unduly severe.