Chef to be sentenced in kitchen-knife attack

A chef who attacked his former boss with a kitchen knife and another man with a hammer following an evening of drinking will be sentenced next month by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Geoffrey Lavelle (aged 31), of Drumcondra Road Lower, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm to Liam Tully and Paul Simpson at a Drumcondra Road address on February 1, 2006.

Judge Katherine Delahunt heard that Lavelle’s former boss and friend, Mr Tully, suffered a permanent scar across his face in an attack described by defence counsel as "out of the blue" and "for no apparent reason".

Mr Simpson happened upon the scene after Mr Tully had escaped and intervened to protect Lavelle’s girlfriend but received a blow to the face with a claw hammer.

Detective Garda Paul Tallon told Dominic McGinn BL, prosecuting, that Lavelle was a chef who had worked as second in command to Mr Tully but had been sacked two months before the incident.

The pair remained friends and continued to meet socially.

Det. Gda Tallon said Mr Tully had received a call from a recruitment agency the day before the incident and had told them Lavelle had been sacked but had given him a positive reference.

Mr Tully met Lavelle and his girlfriend for drinks later that night and after six to eight pints the trio went back to the woman’s apartment where they continued chatting.

Mr Tully went to the toilet and as he returned was attacked by Lavelle with a large, professional chef's knife. He struggled with Lavelle and took the knife from him before escaping and getting into a taxi.

Mr Simpson arrived at the flats and saw Mr Tully holding his face and when he heard a continued disturbance coming from Lavelle’s girlfriend's flat, he called gardaí. He then saw Lavelle with his girlfriend and intervened pulling Lavelle away by the hair.

Det. Gda Tallon said Lavelle struck Mr Simpson on the right side of his face with a claw hammer before Mr Simpson forced him out of the building and gardaí arrived.

Judge Delahunt heard that Mr Simpson suffered pain and swelling from his injury while Mr Tully was treated by a specialist plastic surgeon and received 11 stitches to his face.

Lavelle, originally from Mayo, has three previous convictions for road traffic and drugs offences.

Paul Greene BL, defending, said the incident had occurred "out of the blue" and "for no apparent reason". "It is simply not clear what motivated my client," he said.

Mr Greene said Lavelle offered a "genuine and sincere apology" to both victims and had €8,500 as a token of compensation. He said Lavelle was a recreational abuser of cannabis but had taken steps to address his problems.

Mr Greene said Lavelle’s girlfriend had stood by him as his behaviour had been "so out of character".

Judge Deluhunt ordered that €6,500 be paid to Mr Tully and €2,000 to Mr Simpson and adjourned sentence to next month.