The Court of Appeal has quashed sentences that allowed two men convicted of assault causing harm and producing a weapon to perform community service instead of serving prison terms. It resentenced each to two and a half years’ imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended on conditions.
The ruling concerns an incident at a Chinese takeaway on Sundrive Road, County Dublin, on 27 July 2019. The men had pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and production of a weapon. Counts of affray were taken into consideration. A further serious-harm assault charge against one man was discontinued by a nolle prosequi during the sentencing hearing.
The Central Criminal Court had imposed concurrent prison terms in July 2024: two and a half years and two years for the first man, and two years and one and a half years for the second. It ordered each to complete 240 hours of community service within 12 months in lieu of imprisonment.
The Court of Appeal said the original headline sentences were not unduly lenient. But it held that, given the use of weapons and the serious injuries, the custody threshold had been crossed. The court said the sentencing judge erred in principle by imposing no custodial element. It quashed the sentences as unduly lenient and resentenced the men afresh.
The judgment recounts evidence that an argument between the men, who worked at the takeaway, escalated into two physical altercations. Medical reports described multiple stab wounds suffered by the second man, significant blood loss, a transfusion and several days in intensive care. He told the sentencing court that he could not work for 16 weeks and continued to experience headaches and insomnia. The first man also suffered wounds, which the court described as less significant.
Both men gave differing accounts to gardaí and each said he had acted in self-defence. Their accounts were described in evidence as self-serving. The appeal court noted mitigating circumstances including guilty pleas, no previous convictions in Ireland, good work histories, cooperation with probation and rehabilitation efforts. It also took account of community service already completed under the original order.
The appeal court imposed concurrent four-year headline sentences on the assault and weapon counts in each case, then reduced the effective terms to two and a half years to reflect mitigation. It suspended the last 12 months of each sentence, subject to keeping the peace, being of good behaviour and obeying any Probation Service directions. The court also took the affray counts into consideration.