A GOREY man who beat his former best man using a hammer and a cup said the assault occurred after hearing that the victim had paid someone €2,000 to shoot him in the legs.
John Murphy (40) of 29 Beechside Avenue, Riverchapel was before Gorey District Court last week on the charge of assault causing harm to his former close friend on August 8 2011.
Sgt Sean O’Leary took the stand to tell how he received a call at 9.30 p.m on the night in question.
He said that he went to the home of Michael Kearns, who had been beaten and was bleeding from the top of his head. He added that the kitchen had delph and other items strewn around.
Murphy was subsequently arrested and brought to Gorey Garda Station.
The victim received many injuries from the attack; including a 3cm laceration on his head, which he received two stitches for, a black eye and bruises to his arms and legs.
He took the stand to give a victim impact statement, saying that on the night in question, he heard a knock on the door and answered it to find Murphy, a friend of several years, threatening to kill him.
When he attempted to close the door, he said he was head-butted in the face and punched, and ended up on the floor disorientated.
Mr. Kearns said that he was then dragged into the kitchen where he was threatened with knives, and where Murphy hit him over the head with a glass and cup.
Murphy then took the stand to plead guilty to the assault, and he explained that the reason it took place was due to threats he heard from another man.
He said: “A fellow told me that someone had been paid €2,000 (by Mr. Kearns) to shoot me in the legs.”
Judge Gerard Haughton condemned the attack as “a serious assault.”
Due to committing a Section 3 assault, he sentenced Murphy to 200 hours of community service, in lieu of a nine-month imprisonment.
[For full story, see this week’s Echo]