Polish man who bit man's ear given two-year sentence

A Polish Meath resident who bit off part of a man’s ear in an assault in McDonald’s on O’Connell Street has been given a two-year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Lukasz Herman (aged 30), of Village Green, Rathoath, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Patrick Geraghty at or about McDonald’s restaurant, Lower O’Connell Street on February 4, 2007.

Garda Daniel Broderick told Mr Roughan Banim BL, prosecuting, that Mr Geraghty had just ordered food when he noticed a man in a grey hoodie right up in his girlfriend’s face looking her "up and down".

He confronted the man and then turned to leave. He saw the man making threatening gestures at him and a different man, Herman, approached him "growling".

Herman grabbed Mr Geraghty’s arm, who then flung a milkshake in Herman’s face. Herman threw his victim across the room, then jumped on him and bit off part of his right ear. The second man kicked Mr Geraghty.

Herman picked up Mr Geraghty in a headlock and was choking him until he was freed by security guards.

Mr Geraghty picked up his ear and waited outside for an ambulance, while Herman and the second man stayed inside until gardaí arrived. Doctors were unable to reattach the severed part of Mr Geraghty’s ear

Garda Broderick agreed with defence counsel, Mr Kerida Naidoo BL, that Herman co-operated with gardaí and had not come to any further gardaí attention before or after the incident.

Mr Naidoo said Herman worked as a labourer and over the last two years had managed to save €8,000 as compensation on a weekly wage of €370 a week. He said this was an "isolated, aberrant act which was not premeditated" and which Herman "profoundly regrets".

Judge Katherine Delahunt imposed a two-year sentence with the final year suspended and ordered that Herman pay over €8,000 compensation from his savings to his victim. She said she accepted Herman’s remourse was genuine but noted Mr Geraghty’s injury was "significant with ongoing social problems".