Lyons will always be notorious, court told

Businessman Anthony Lyons, who received a six-month custodial sentence for a violent sexual assault, will "never be forgotten" and will "always be notorious", the Court of Criminal Appeal has heard.

The three-judge court yesterday heard submissions in a re-hearing of an appeal against the undue leniency of a sentence of six years with five and a half years suspended imposed on Lyons, aged 53, by Judge Desmond Hogan in July 2012.

The respondent, the owner of an aircraft leasing company from Griffith Avenue in Dublin, had pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attacking and sexually assaulting a then 27-year-old woman in the early hours of the morning of October 3, 2010.

Lyons was ordered by the judge to pay his victim €75,000 in compensation.

In November last year, the appeal court found the sentence was “unduly lenient” but reserved the reasons for its judgment and later reserved its decision on what sentence should be imposed in its place.

However, due to the illness of sitting judge Mr Justice Michael Hanna, the court had to be reconstituted and the appeal reheard.

Counsel for the State, Caroline Biggs, yesterday told the appeal court it was the Director of Public Prosecution’s submission that the sentence imposed was on Lyons “unduly lenient” in all the circumstances.

She said it was the suspension of five and a half years of a six-year sentence that was of concern to the DPP.

With regard to any new sentence to be imposed should the court reach a decision on undue leniency, counsel for Lyons, Patrick Gageby, submitted there had been a very significant effect on Lyons and his family.

Mr Gageby said that while the consequences of being convicted were not something he could complain of, there had been “unwanted attention” from the media and those outside the media.

“My client will never be forgotten; he will always be notorious,” said Mr Gageby.

Mr Justice Murray said the court would reserve judgment in this “complex and serious matter” and would notify all parties when the judgement is available. He said this would be some time in the next court term, which begins on June 18.

Lyons was released from prison in December 2012.