Judge suspends balance of garda's prison sentence for assault

A garda has walked free from jail after a judge today revised his sentence and suspended the balance of the officer's 18-month prison penalty for assaulting a man in Cork city almost three years ago.

Dean Foley - who is from Blarney but had been stationed in Bantry - had been sentenced to 18 months in jail with 12 months suspended by Judge Sean O' Donnabhain yesterday for assault causing harm to Stephen Murphy in Cork in September 2009.

Mr Murphy suffered serious injuries in the assault and was left unconscious. Judge O'Donnabhain said because of the violence involved he believed a custodial sentence was appropriate.

However Mr Foley's barrister requested the sentence be revisited due to the recognised fact that convicted gardaí and prison officers suffered greater hardship in prison because they have to be segregated from other prisoners.

The sentence was then revised and the balance suspended.