Limerick man who broke another's nose in fast food fight given community service

A MAN who assaulted two people during a fight at a takeaway in the city centre has been told he will avoid a prison sentence if he completes 200 hours of community service.

Thomas Hehir, 41, of Deer Court, John Carew Park, Southill had pleaded guilty to a number of charges relating to an incident at Abrakebabra, O’Connell Street, in the early hours of September 5, 2018.

Limerick District Court was told a customer sustained a broken nose during the incident while a member of staff sustained a number of lacerations.

Solicitor Sarah Ryan said CCTV footage from Abrakebabra shows her client interacting with the second customer while ordering food at the counter.

She said there was no sign of a dispute initially but that an altercation takes place a number of minutes later after her client appears to respond to something that was said.

Judge Marian O’Leary was told the initial altercation involved Mr Hehir and the customer and that a member of staff can then be seen attempting to separate them.

Ms Ryan said her client, who has 16 previous convictions, left the restaurant after ordering his food and that when he returned to collect his order the fight resumed.

Mr Hehir and the customer, she added, can then be seen grappling as the row moves outside the premises and onto the street.

The court was told the dispute was broken up by a security officer from the nearby Chicken Hut premises who intervened after he was alerted to the incident.

Ms Ryan said her client who was intoxicated on then night has anger management issues and knows he should not have behaved the way he did.

“There is no trouble when he controls his drinking,” she said.

While noting Ms Ryan’s comments, Judge O’Leary commented that people “can’t just go around assaulting people.”

Having been informed the defendant is a suitable candidate for community service, she imposed a penalty of 200 hours in lieu of a three month prison sentence.

Both victims declined to make victim impact statements.