Man receives suspended sentence for biting attacks

A man who absconded to Britain in 1998 after he severed one man’s ear and bit another man in the face more than 10 years ago has been given a four-year suspended sentence.

William Nolan (aged 36) started a new life as a bar manager and estate agent after taking flight before his original sentence date in 1998 but returned home in 2003 and suffered a number of accidents resulting in a civil settlement from which he can offer his victims compensation.

Nolan, of Joseph Plunkett Tower, Ballymun, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Brian Keegan and James Murray in the city centre on October 16, 1995.

Judge Martin Nolan said since the offence was committed Nolan had gone on to lead a “reasonably exemplary” life.

He said one of the purposes of a custodial sentence was to prepare a defendant for civilized life but that Nolan had achieved this by himself.

Judge Nolan also ordered that €22,000 offered to Mr Keegan and Mr Murray by way of compensation be paid by a ratio 11:1 in favour of Mr Keegan.

Detective garda Denis Sexton told Mr Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, that Nolan told gardaí he had “freaked” after a fight broke out between himself and Mr Keegan in a chipper on Dorset Street.

Nolan said he had bitten down on Mr Keegan’s ear “out of instinct” then run away.

He said he then met a friend, Mr John Harte, but began having a row with him and at that point was approached by Mr Murray and bit him on the face.

Det garda Sexton said Mr Keegan was brought to hospital and his partially severed ear recovered but it was not successfully reattached and the outer third of his ear was amputated.

He said Mr Keegan had been affected by his disfiguration for 13 years and felt that it influences people’s opinion of him as someone involved in violence.

He said Mr Murray had been worried and depressed by the bite to his face but it had not left a permanent scar.

Detective garda Denis Sexton told Mr Gillane that a fight broke out after an exchange of words in a chipper on Dorset Street between Nolan and Mr Keegan.

Mr Keegan had his ear severed when he was bitten after being grabbed from behind. Nolan ran from the chipper.

Mr Murray was on Fitzgibbon street later that night and came across a fight between Nolan and another man. When he went to break it up he was pulled by the jacket and bitten on the face by Nolan. Gardaí arrived and made arrests.

Det garda Sexton said Nolan, who has one previous conviction, had pleaded guilty to the offences in 1998 but absconded to Britain and failed to appear for his sentence date. He was brought back before the court on a bench warrant in June 2007.

Det garda Sexton agreed with defence counsel, Mr Ronan Kennedy BL, that Mr Keegan had initially been fighting with Mr Harte before Nolan got involved and there was a large pile of people fighting on the ground in the chipper.

He agreed that the second incident had arisen when Mr Harte and Nolan were fighting about what had happened in the chipper and were approached by Mr Murray. He agreed Nolan was fully co-operative during questioning.

Mr Kennedy submitted that Nolan regrets the incidents and wished to apologise to the injured parties. He said from his point of view he had thought his friend was in trouble but accepted his actions were disproportionate.

He said Nolan had a good work history in the family business until 1998 when a long term relationship had broken up. He said after he pleaded guilty to these charges Nolan felt his life was in a mess and took flight.

Mr Kennedy said Nolan worked as a bar manager and estate agent in Britain until 2003 when he became very ill and made a decision to return home.

He said Nolan had his nose fractured in an assault in 2006 and suffered a back injury in a car accident in March 2007. Those injuries were aggravated by another accident in November 2007 which had left him confined to bed but he could now move around using a crutch.