Sentencing date for man convicted of ‘vicious unprovoked attack’

A young man who was wanted for a vicious assault in the city centre was arrested and brought before Cork District Court yesterday.

Curtis Keniry of City Park House, Sullivan’s Quay, Cork, was convicted in his absence earlier this month at Cork District for the unprovoked assault.

Keniry, aged 20, should have appeared before Judge Marie Keane on January 4 for a hearing of the assault case. He did not appear, and Judge Keane heard the evidence, convicted him of assault, and issued a warrant for his arrest.

Garda Anthony Kelleher arrested Keniry on the warrant and brought him before Cork District Court.

Judge Olann Kelleher remanded him in custody yesterday until Monday when a date will be set for him to be sentenced by Judge Keane.

Keniry applied unsuccessfully for bail and explained his absence from court for his case by reference to moving address and the birth of a child to his partner.

Solicitor Frank Buttimer said to Keniry in the bail application yesterday: “The guards think you should be locked up because you are not attending to your business in court.”

Keniry said he would attend court as required.

Inspector John Deasy said gardaí still had concerns about the accused showing up in court.

Earlier this month Judge Keane said: “This was a vicious unprovoked attack on an innocent man walking on Patrick St at 9.30pm on a Sunday. For no reason whatsoever, Mr Keniry began to engage in provocative behaviour, culminating in a vicious assault.”

Eyewitness Jim Faulkner had said he was standing on the corner of Patrick St and Grand Parade that night when he heard a man shouting at another man to “get away from me, leave me alone”. “He beats him around the head, he (the injured party) drops to the ground. I heard a crack. I felt the vibration of his head hitting the ground come up through my shoes,” the eyewitness said.

“The gentleman doing the assaulting never saw the guard coming. He just kept laying into the guy,” Mr Faulkner told Inspector Finbarr O’Sullivan.

CCTV shown in court yesterday showed John Lynch walking backwards to avoid another man walking directly at him.

Mr Lynch initially tried to fend off blows before turning to run.

Mr Lynch said that when the incident continued out of sight of the CCTV camera he was knocked to the ground. He testified that he did not know the attacker.