Man who attacked taxi driver gets six years

A Ballyfermot man who assaulted a taxi driver, leaving him with a fractured skull, while on bail for ramming a Garda car with stolen car he had driven at 160 kilometres per hour, has been given a six-year sentence.

Anthony Dennis (aged 23), who has 107 previous convictions, laughed as he swerved to hit the patrol car and, one month later, while on bail for this offence he and a co-accused told his assault victim: "We are untouchable."

Dennis, of Lally Road, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Mr William Brennan causing him harm at Ormonde Quay on September 11, 2006 and to reckless endangerment and dangerous driving on August 25, 2006.

Mr Brennan outlined in his victim-impact report, which was read to the court, the long-term physical effects of the assault such as loss of feeling in the left-hand side of his face, the loss of his senses of taste and smell, vertigo, and the loss of his hearing in one ear for four months.

Judge Frank O'Donnell told Dennis: "You display a complete disregard for the strictures placed on you by society" and said he deserved more than the five-year maximum sentence for assault causing harm.

Judge O'Donnell imposed consecutive sentences totalling six years sentence and suspended the final two years on strict conditions.

Garda Chris Cahill told Mr John Quirke BL, prosecuting, that Mr Mark Brennan was out socializing with friends at Zanzibar nightclub in September 2006 when a man bumped into him on the dance floor and told him: "You are dead after this."

Garda Cahill said this man and Dennis followed Mr Brennan as he left the nightclub so he rang his uncle, who was a taxi driver, to come and collect him. Mr William Brennan arrived at Ormonde Quay to collect his nephew and the two men following Mr Brennan verbally abused them.

Mr William Brennan told the men he was not afraid of them and one of the men replied: "We can threaten who we want. We can get you both done, one phone call. We are untouchable."

Garda Cahill said Dennis began to kick the side of Mr Brennan's taxi and when he went to remonstrate with him the two men jumped on him. Dennis punched Mr Brennan in the face while the other men held him and when he let him go the back of Mr Brennan's head hit the pavement with a loud smack.

The two men ran from the scene but were identified to gardaí by witnesses and Dennis was arrested.

Mr Brennan was taken to hospital, where he was treated for a fracture to the base of the skull, and bleeding on his brain. He remained in hospital for two weeks and was later readmitted for a further week.

Garda Paul McHugh told Mr Ronan Kennedy BL, prosecuting, that in August 2006 he observed Dennis driving a stolen car at about 160 km per hour speed along the Kylemore Road and then making a handbrake turn into a residential area.

Garda McHugh said the patrol car caught up with Dennis as he was doing "donuts", or spinning the car in a circle, on Decies Road. Dennis then drove at the patrol car, swerving to hit it on the passenger side.

He said he Dennis appeared to be laughing with his passenger as he hit the patrol car and accelerated so fast there was smoke coming from the tyres. The Garda Air Support Unit kept track of Dennis's location and he was arrested shortly afterwards at the Walkinstown roundabout.

Defence counsel, Mr Pieter Le Vert BL, said Dennis had "gone off the rails" when his mother died four years ago and began to dabble in drink and drugs. He said his father was now ill and Dennis had been twice granted compassionate bail since going into custody and had abided by all the conditions.