Jail for knocking stranger unconscious

A 23-year-old man who was responsible for knocking a stranger unconscious in Cork City centre was jailed for two years yesterday.

Wayne O’Riordan, of 17 Townsend Place, Greenmount, Cork, was sentenced to three years with the last year suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on a charge of assault causing harm to John O’Leary on October 31, 2014. The victim had no interaction with the accused prior to the incident. There was one single punch to the face which rendered the victim unconscious and he fell to the ground, his head suffering a heavy blow against the footpath.

Dermot Sheehan, defending, said O’Riordan suffered panic attacks, stayed in his bedroom, and then drank to excess on occasions when he did go out.