Gerard Mackin and Patrick Hayes jailed for assault

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

Gerard Mackin and Patrick Hayes were each jailed for three years at the Special Criminal Court for assaulting Dan Quilligan and causing him harm. They pleaded guilty to the assault charge. The proceedings were reported on 17 March 2017.

The assault took place at 6 Larch Court, Limerick, on 14 September 2015. During the second day of the men’s trial, their counsel told the court they would plead guilty and could be re-arraigned on the assault charge.

The State later decided not to proceed with a charge against both men of falsely imprisoning Quilligan at the same address on the same date.

The court heard that Quilligan was assaulted and a nail gun was used to nail his left foot to the kitchen floor. He freed his foot and went to hospital.

In a victim impact statement, Quilligan said the attack had shattered his life and that his legs were still in pain. Justice Tony Hunt described the assault as “most grievous” and noted that the maximum sentence was five years.

Co-accused Mark Heffernan had pleaded not guilty to the assault and denied falsely imprisoning Quilligan. The report said his trial was due to resume on the following Monday.