Teenage Limerick student suffers bleed on the brain during 'savage' attack

A UNIVERSITY of Limerick student suffered a bleed on his brain after he was knocked to the ground and kicked in the head during a night out in the city, the circuit court has heard.

Judge Colin Daly said the victim, then aged 19, was assaulted in a “very savage manner”. The judge said CCTV shows the three accused behaving menacingly in the lead up to the incident and “it seems they were looking for a fight”.

READ NEXT: Petrol bomb attack on Limerick home while family watched TV

Ian Hanrahan, aged 24, with an address at Focus Ireland, Parnell Place, Parnell Street, Limerick city; Anthony O’Callaghan, aged 19, of St Brendan’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick city and a 16-year-old teenager, who cannot be named, all pleaded guilty to violent disorder. 

The sentencing hearing on Friday, October 10 last also heard details of  a separate incident on a separate date in which Mr Hanrahan punched, and dragged a young woman out of a hotel room by the hair in a “particularly vicious and nasty attack”.

The evidence in relation to the assault on the UL student had been outlined by prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan, instructed by State solicitor Pádraig Mawe, on an earlier date.

On Friday, October 10,  Judge Colin Daly said the attack happened at around 1am on October 27, 2023 at Cornmarket Row in the city. He said it was the Halloween weekend and the area was busy as it is popular with students and young people.

“The victim was socialising with friends. He was a first-year student at UL and is of good character. He and his friends were going into Top Pizza. Somebody bumped into him and words were exchanged. The victim was knocked to the ground having been hit in the face. While he was on the ground, he was kicked in the face by Mr Hanrahan,” said Judge Daly.

The court heard the student was rushed to University Hospital Limerick where scans showed he had suffered multiple fractures to his head and a bleed to his brain. Advice was sought from Cork University Hospital on whether he required brain surgery.

Judge Daly said the victim, who did not make a statement to gardai as “he appears to have been fearful”, was unable to return to his studies that year.

The judge said the student was attacked in a “very savage manner” by the three accused who were “all acting together”.

“It seems they wanted to cause harm to another person and the victim in this case was unlucky that he was the person they ended up getting into a confrontation with,” said Judge Daly.

When sentencing the 16-year-old teenager - represented by Erin O’Hagan BL - Judge Daly took into account his plea of guilty, his young age of 14 at the time and his remorse.

He imposed a detention order of one-and-a-half years in Oberstown Children Detention Campus and upon release a one-and-a-half year supervision order by the Probation Service.

READ NEXT: Limerick woman facing arrest amid major ‘health hazard’ in her own back garden

Mr Hanrahan, who was represented by Kenneth Kerins BL, was also before the courts for the assault of a young woman and causing criminal damage to a room in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Limerick on January 26, 2025.

The judge said gardai were called to a disturbance in the hotel and found Mr Hanrahan dragging a young woman out of the room by hair.

“They found the woman to be injured and the room to be badly damaged. The accused was incredibly aggressive when arrested, trying to fight gardai and calling them various names. He continued to be aggressive when he was placed in the garda van. He appeared to be under the influence of both alcohol and other intoxicants.

“When he was questioned, he appeared to have no recall. However, he accepted what he had done and apologised,” said Judge Daly.

The court heard Mr Hanrahan and the victim had booked into the hotel and were drinking during the course of the evening.

“It appears that Mr Hanrahan was taking cocaine. An argument seems to have erupted between them when she had been texting a friend. He accused her of cheating on him. She said that Mr Hanrahan became more angry and aggressive, punched her in the face and when she tried to leave the room, pulled her back by the hair,” said Judge Daly, who described it as a “particularly vicious and nasty assault”.

The victim suffered bruising and contusions, had to be hospitalised and it has had “a significant psychological impact”.

“It was a serious and sustained attack,” said Judge Daly.

Repairs to the hotel room cost €5,500 and the room being unavailable for guests resulted in a total loss to the Radisson Blu of €9,000.

In mitigation, Judge Daly took into account Mr Hanrahan’s pleas of guilty, he was crime free until his early 20s, his significant drug addiction and his remorse.

The judge imposed a four-year jail sentence for violent disorder at Cormarket Row and three years in prison for the assault and criminal damage in the hotel.

The judge said due to the severity and domestic nature of the assault in the hotel he would make the sentences consecutive. The final 18 months of the total of seven years in jail was suspended.

Judge Daly adjourned sentencing Mr O’Callaghan, represented by Liam Carroll BL, until later this week. Mr O’Callaghan has pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Cormarket Row and “a multiplicity of offences during a crime spree from January to July of 2024,” said prosecuting barrister Mr O’Sullivan.

They include unauthorised takings of vehicles, breaking into cars, stealing contents from within and driving off without payment for fuel.