Man who attacked neighbour with hatchet has sentence reduced

A man who attacked his neighbour with a hatchet because the music at a confirmation celebration party was too loud has had his prison sentence reduced by the Court of Criminal Appeal.

The three-judge CCA held that the sentence imposed on Christopher Hill (aged 44) of Oak Green, Royal Oak, Santry, was unduly severe and reduced it from three to two years in jail.

Hill had previously pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing Mr Paul Brierton harm at his home on the early hours of February 28, 2004.

The court heard that the injured party was left with a cut to his scalp which required ten stitches, and he sustained severe bruising around his abdomen.

Last March Judge Patricia Ryan imposed a four-year sentence and suspended the final year. €12,000 compensation gathered by Hill was paid over to his victim.

Hill, a former heroin addict, appealed against the severity of the prison sentence. In opposing the appeal the DPP had argued that the conviction remain intact.

Today the three-judge CCA of Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns sitting with Mr Justice Declan Budd and Mr Justice George Birmingham said that this was a "very serious" matter, however a more appropriate sentence in circumstances was one of four years in prison with the final two years suspended.

Mr Justice Kearns said that, while five years was the maximum sentence that could be imposed for an offence of this nature, Hill had paid "full compensation" of €12,000 to his victim, and expressed his remorse for what happened.