'Inactive life' for former soldier after beating, court hears

A former English Army corporal has been consigned to a desk job and an inactive life with non-stop headaches after being savagely attacked in Dublin's Temple Bar area.

Conor Shaw (aged 33), whose hobbies included hang-gliding, sky diving, mountain climbing and absailing instruction, was kicked in the head until he was unconscious in the early hours of Easter Sunday morning, 2006, at the Central Bank Plaza after 'something funny' was said about his assailant's brother's hair.

Mark Cummins (aged 35) of St Tereasa's Gardens, Donore Avenue, Rialto pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing serious harm to Mr Shaw on April 16, 2006.

Detective Garda Brendan Suttle told Mr Colm O Briain BL, prosecuting, that two bystanders saw the father-of-two kick Mr Shaw "full force" into the face about five times while he was on the ground.

This followed a scuffle between Cummins and his brother, and Mr Shaw and his friend, but the scuffle had ended when Cummins returned to the scene and attacked Mr Shaw.

Cummins, who had drunk eight pints and a dozen bottles of beer that day, handed himself into gardaí 10 days later, after the crime featured on Crimeline.

Mr O Briain read from a medical report that Mr Shaw was admitted to intensive care with cranial and facial injuries, and a depressed fracture of the frontal bone beneath his forehead. He underwent neuro-surgery, his skull being opened to relieve pressure on his brain.

Mr Shaw told Judge Desmond Hogan he was hospitalised for five weeks after the "life-changing experience" which left titanium plates in his head and the main recovery took a year.

Mr Shaw said his eye-socket and nasal passage had to be rebuilt and he lost his sense of smell; his cheekbone collapsed; his forehead is artificial and he acquired secondary infections.

"I've a constant dull headache. Sometimes it gets so bad I have to go to bed for a week or so," he said. He is on a lifetime prescription of antidepressants to help him sleep, due to nerve damage.

"This makes me docile," he said of the side effects.

Ms Caroline Biggs BL, defending, said Cummins' life had fallen apart since the incident which happened after someone in Mr Shaw's party made a comment about Cummins' brother's hair.

He was immediately remorseful for the attack and the taxi driver who brought him home said he had his head in his hands, saying he shouldn't have done it.

Ms Biggs said Cummins had a broken tooth and blood on his face from the scuffle beforehand and until he handed himself in, the gardaí had no leads.

His sister, Audrey Cummins, said they had a traumatic upbringing until their abusive, alcoholic father split from their mother. "Mark got the worst of it, regular beatings," she said, adding that she had never seen her brother aggressive with or without alcohol.

Judge Hogan adjourned sentencing for preparation of a probation and psychologist report.