Boxer to be sentenced for biting man's ear off

A 20-year-old former boxing champion who bit part of a man’s ear off during a drunken row will be sentenced later by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Clyde Moran, an apprentice brick layer of Larkhill Road, Whitehall, pleaded guilty to causing serious harm to Paul Smith at Collins Avenue, Glasnevin, on May 1, 2005.

Judge Desmond Hogan heard that Moran’s father Gerard Moran was murdered in 1998 and his stepfather, Jimmy Curran, was also murdered a short time before the defendant attacked Mr Smith leaving him with 1.5 centimetres of his ear missing.

Moran was National Youth Boxing Champion at 16 years old and had no previous convictions at the time of the incident. He has since received six convictions for minor road traffic and criminal damage offences.

Garda Anthony McCabe told Mr Remy Farrell BL, prosecuting, that Moran had been at a party in a friend’s house in north Dublin during which a large amount of alcohol had been taken by everyone.

Partygoers were heading home in the early hours of the morning when Moran was "slagged" and insulted about his personal appearance.

Gda McCabe said Moran became agitated and got involved in a "serious altercation" with Mr Smith whom he kicked. The victim fell to the ground hitting his head and Moran then punched, kicked and bit a lump out of his ear.

Gda McCabe said there were a number of witnesses and differing accounts of the incident due to the amount of drink consumed. Moran left the scene and Mr Smith was taken to the Mater Hospital where he received 13 staples to a deep cut on his head.

Mr Michael O’Higgins SC, defending, said his client was of a "low to average range" of intellectual ability and now trained young people in boxing. He has abstained from alcohol since the incident and needed counselling in relation to the tragic deaths of his father and stepfather.

Mr O’Higgins said Moran had €7,000 available as a "tangible form of apology to Mr Smith".

Judge Hogan adjourned sentence to allow for the preparation of a Probation Service report and agreed that Moran’s plea of guilty had saved the State a "lengthy, complicated and confusing trial".