Gerard Brown loses Supreme Court assault causing harm appeal

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

Gerard Brown’s appeal against his conviction for assault causing harm was dismissed by the Supreme Court on 21 December 2018, leaving his conviction and three-year consecutive sentence in place. Brown was convicted of assaulting Stephen Cooper at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise on 20 May 2014. The Supreme Court majority held that the alleged consent was unlawful and had no legal effect. Two judges dissented, holding that lack of consent should be proved where the injury did not amount to serious harm and consent was freely given.