Mother of man who died in late night assault tells court she has 'lost everything'

The mother of a man who died at the scene of an early morning assault has told a court she has lost everything.

Geraldine Saunders was speaking after a judge sentenced Dublin man Paul Brannigan (27) for an assault on Jason Saunders at Fassaugh Avenue, Cabra on March 18, 2014. Mr Saunders was 21 when he died yards from his home after the altercation.

Brannigan, formerly of Ratoath Drive, Finglas had pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and two charges of assault causing harm to Mr Saunders.

After a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last July a jury convicted him of one charge of assault relating to Brannigan striking the victim with a golf club. The jury acquitted him of the other assault arising from Brannigan head-butting Mr Saunders which Brannigan said he did in self -defence.

The jury were unable to reach a verdict on the manslaughter charge.

Elva Duffy BL, prosecuting, said this was the second time the matter had come to trial and that the Director of Public Prosecutions would not be seeking a third trial on the manslaughter charge.

The assault took place at around 7am following a St Patrick's Day house party during which, the court heard, alcohol and drugs including “ecstasy” were being consumed.

Judge Martina Baxter said that during the trial a local shop keeper described seeing Brannigan head-butting Mr Saunders and then aggressively swinging a golf club at him.

One witness saw Mr Saunders staggering and then collapsing onto the street. Emergency services arrived at the scene but Mr Saunders died on the roadside, yards from his home.

Judge Baxter said that there was no verdict on the cause of his death and she was sentencing Brannigan strictly for a single assault, which has a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.

She noted that Brannigan claimed he was using the golf club to scare Mr Saunders off and acting in self defence but she said the jury rejected this.

The trial heard that he told gardaí he was “fueled up with drink and coke” at the time. He has a previous conviction for a violent disorder arising out of pub brawl between two feuding factions in Finglas in October 2017.

The judge said it was open to Brannigan to retreat back into his home. She accepted that he expressed shock and remorse to gardaí about Mr Saunder's death.

Judge Baxter suspended the last eight months of a three and a half year sentence. She ordered that he be given credit for 22 months already served.

Mrs Saunders was not entitled to submit a victim impact statement because of a gap in the law but Judge Baxter allowed her to speak in court after she had passed sentence.

The mother of five said she would never forget the morning of her son's death and said she was constantly playing it back in her head.

“Every time I open my hall door I see Jason lying there,” she said.

She said she felt like she lost everything when she buried her son, who she described as “bubbly” and full of laughter.

She said she now finds it hard to leave her home and interact with the world.

Judge Baxter extended her sympathy to Mrs Saunders for the sudden loss of her “beloved son”. She said it was every parent's nightmare that their child would go out and not come back home.

She noted that Brannigan had failed to currently convey remorse to the family.