Wicklow man (39) jailed for one punch assault that left victim with fractured jaw
The Wicklow PeopleA Wicklow man who fractured another man’s jaw with a single punch during an altercation at Wicklow town’s South Pier has been jailed for 16 months
Ronan Maguire (39), of Schooner House, Wicklow town, County Wicklow, appeared at Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing. He pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm.
Garda Lynn Roche from Wicklow Town Garda Station told the court that in May 2023, while at the South Pier in Wicklow town, two Ukrainian nationals were leaving the pier when they became involved in an altercation with Mr Maguire and his wife, who is now deceased.
One of the Ukrainian nationals contacted the victim, who returned to the South Pier before getting into an altercation with Mr Maguire.
The accused punched the complainant, who sustained multiple facial injuries, including a fractured jaw which needed to be repaired with a metal plate.
Barrister for the Director of Public Prosecutions, James Kelly, remarked that the prosecution accepted that Mr Maguire believed he was under threat but that he “overreacted”.
The court was told that Mr Maguire was at the pier with his then wife and small child before he got into a verbal disagreement with the Ukrainians, who were communicating via Google Translate. Gda Roche stated that “something got lost in translation”.
Mr Maguire was arrested in early July 2023 and during interview he “gave his version of events” and told investigators that he felt under threat.
Mr Kelly read a short victim impact statement on behalf of the victim, which said that he has suffered since the injury, including multiple facial screws and nerve damage.
He added that the defendant has 47 previous convictions, ranging from public intoxication and threatening to kill, to possession of knives and criminal damage.
The accused’s last sentence was handed down by Judge David Kennedy in the District Court, with his earliest release date being July 2026.
His previous convictions date back to 2005.
Gda Roche informed the court that she has dealt with Mr Maguire “on numerous occasions”.
During cross-examination, counsel for the defence, Justin McQuade, put it to Gda Roche that Mr Maguire accepted the plea and held an honest belief that he needed to use force in self-defence of his family. Gda Roche agreed.
Mr McQuade stated that “the assault causing harm was committed with a single punch to the face, but Mr Maguire accepted that the force was disproportionate”.
He added that the accused should have pushed the victim away or “used a lesser level of force”.
Defence counsel remarked that the “slightly different version wasn’t a big difference”, and Gda Roche agreed.
Mr Maguire’s father died of an overdose and his partner also died in “tragic circumstances”.
The court heard that the offence of assault causing harm now carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.
However, at the time Mr Maguire committed the offence, the maximum penalty was five years, and the court is required to sentence him in line with the legislation in place at that time.
Mr McQuade stated that Mr Maguire comes from a complex background, having gone to private boarding school, which his grandparents paid for.
The accused began taking drugs while at school, which became the “blight of his life”.
He started a plumbing apprenticeship, but failed to complete his traineeship, the court was told.
On the day of the assault, Mr McQuade remarked that it was Ukrainian Independence Day and that the pair had consumed a bottle of whiskey. His client alleges that they “pulled at his child’s leg”. It was noted by Mr Kelly that the Ukrainian woman denies pulling the leg of the child.
Since he entered custody, Mr Maguire has attempted suicide and has gone on hunger strike. He is currently before the High Court in relation to his treatment while in custody.
During sentencing, Judge Patrick Quinn remarked on the nature of the assault, calling it “unusual”, before saying that even with a private education, Mr Maguire managed to “sway into addiction” while noting his personal tragedies.
Judge Quinn handed down a sentence of 16 months’ imprisonment, with the final four months suspended for a period of four months. The sentence was backdated to May 2025.