18 months for man who bit stranger's ear

A man who spat, pushed and kicked at four gardai after they arrested him for a biting a stranger’s ear has been sentenced to 18 months in prison by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Carl Geoghegan, aged 21 of Pembroke Gardens, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, bit the man’s ear because he wrongly thought he was "at his girlfriend".

He pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Niall Flood and assaulting gardai Ian Coughlan and

James Nugent at Fairview, Dublin 3, on December 2, 2005.

Geoghegan also admitted to assaulting gardai Joan O’Connor and Eric Barry later that same day at Clontarf Garda Station.

Judge Delahunt suspended the last six months of the sentence on condition that Geoghegan give €2,500, as a token of his remorse, to Mr Flood within 12 months of his release for prison.

She said this "was appalling behaviour towards gardaí who were trying to bring you under control" but she accepted evidence that Geoghegan had since changed his attitude and told him she hoped this would continue, "or we’ll be seeing each other more regularly".

Judge Delahunt said she was satisfied that Geoghegan was from a respectable family "who I am sure are horrified about where you find yourself now."

Garda Coughlan told Mr Colm O’Briain BL, prosecuting, that Mr Flood approached Geoghegan’s girlfriend and started to talk to her after he saw her standing alone that night.

Geoghegan then grabbed him in a headlock and bit his ear. The victim didn’t try to push him off or hit him because he was afraid his ear would be bitten off.

Gda Coughlan arrived on the scene and Geoghegan pushed him and became abuse after he asked for his name and address.

He told gardaí that Mr Flood had pulled his girlfriend’s hair and was "at her" but the victim denied this. One witness said that Mr Flood had approached the woman after he saw her crying on the street.

Geoghegan then tried to bite Gda Nugent and kicked Gda Coughlan’s hand as they were putting him in the patrol car.

Mr Flood didn’t require any surgery but he was in pain for three to four weeks. He also left his college in Dublin to study outside of the city because the incident had made him nervous to walk around there.

Geoghegan, who was an apprentice bricklayer, had 22 previous convictions including possession of drugs, criminal damage and driving offences.

Gda Coughlan agreed with Ms Sandra Frayne BL, defending, that Geoghegan needed 56 stitches to his face and head after he was seriously assaulted while on remand in custody.

He accepted that Geoghegan’s attitude and outlook had improved since the incident.

Ms Frayne told Judge Delahunt that her client’s mother had €500 in court to offer the victim as a token of her son’s remorse but said he hoped to raise a further €3,000 or €4,000 once he started back at work.