Five years for assault of brother

A KERRYMAN has been jailed for five years for assaulting his brother.

David Doody, 46, from An Caisleán Mór, Castleisland, Co Kerry, had, last March, been convicted by a jury of assaulting his 38-year-old brother, John Doody, causing him serious harm at Desmond’s Avenue, Castleisland, in the early hours of January 8, 2006.

However, the jury acquitted him on a second charge of producing a knife in the course of a dispute.

The accused had denied both charges.

He claimed he did not stab his brother and used no implement other than his hands in the course of a fight.

John Doody, however, had been found with a stab wound which went through to the back of his stomach and also damaged his intestine, resulting in emergency surgery and a 10-day hospital stay.

Judge Carroll Moran, sitting at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee, imposed a five-year jail sentence. An application by defence senior counsel Anthony Sammon for leave to appeal was refused.

Mr Sammon said the accused was in very poor health.

The judge said that it was a very serious offence and he felt five years was an appropriate sentence.