Electrician jailed for plunging glass into student's eye

An electrician who plunged a glass into a complete stranger’s eye because he accidentally bumped into him has been given a four year sentence by Judge Frank O’Donnell at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Mr Eoin O Cuilleanain lost the natural lens in his left eye as a result of the vicious attack at a city centre nightclub and needs a corneal transplant to restore normal vision.

Michael Mooney (aged 26), of Niall Street, Stoneybatter pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm by striking him in the face with a glass object on April 23, 2006.

Mr O Cuilleanain told Judge O’Donnell that Mooney’s "needless and unprovoked violence" had changed his life forever and put an end to a promising rugby career. He had to repeat his first year in university and was unable to go on a trip around Europe with friends last summer.

He said when doctors told him that he might lose the sight in both of his eyes "it sent shock waves through my system" and he felt his life slipped away from him. He still has flashback of Mooney "plunging the glass into my eye" and has had nightmares that his attacker had broken into his home to "finish off the assault".

Mr O Cuilleanain said his friends have moved on with their lives "but I feel I have been left in a sort of limbo punctuated with periods of extreme pain".

A medical report before the court indicated that with the transplant he would only gain 70% vision in his left eye, if there were no complications during surgery.

Garda Cormac Flanagan told Mr Colm O Briain BL, prosecuting, that Mooney told gardaí that Mr O Cuilleanain had pushed him first after he complained that he had bumped into his girlfriend.

Mooney said he fell over a table but got up and pushed the victim back, who he said must have then have cut his eye on glasses on another table.

Gda Flanagan told the court that the victim did not accept this and insisted that he showed no aggression towards Mooney.

Mooney had 25 previous convictions for public order, criminal damage and road traffic offences that were all dealt with in the District Court.

Gda Flanagan agreed with defence counsel, Mr Niall Durnin SC (with Mr Bernard Condon BL), that Mooney had a serious alcohol problem at the time but had since dealt with his addiction in a treatment centre.

Mr Durnin told Judge O’Donnell that it was an extremely serious case that had "absolutely horrific consequences" before he added that "nobody could be but moved by Mr O Cuilleanain’s evidence".

He said Mooney had "full and complete remorse" about what happened and had €10,000 in court, which Mr Durnin said was purely a token of his remorse and accepted that it went "no way towards compensation".

Mr Durnin asked Judge O’Donnell to accept that since Mooney had dealt with his addiction this had gone some way to demonstrate that he had taken responsibility for his actions.

Judge O’Donnell imposed a four year sentence and suspended the final two years on strict conditions.