Cork student weeps as he is refused bail for sentencing over single punch assault

The court heard that the victim "should have been killed from four separate injuries and was extremely lucky to be alive"

The assault happened on Grand Parade, in Cork, where the victim landed on his head, bled from his left ear and was unconscious for a period. File photo: Denis Minihane

A college student who delivered a single knock-out blow to another student outside a Cork City night spot wept as he was remanded in custody for a fortnight for sentencing.

21-year-old Ciaran Allen of Innishannon Road, Fair Hill, Cork, punched Dylan O’Shaughnessy outside Deep South on Grand Parade, Cork, on September 13 2019. The student has been working as much as possible part time and also borrowed to raise €5,000 compensation for the victim.

Garda Patricia O’Riordan testified at Cork Circuit Criminal Court that the injured party went over to talk to a girl in his class in college, when the defendant and another young man arrived and pushed him away.

Afterwards there was a brief, verbal encounter outside the premises and then Ciaran Allen punched Mr O’Shaughnessy in the face as the injured party was walking away from him. He landed on his head, bled from his left ear and was unconscious for a period.

The victim said: “The next thing I remember is waking up in CUH on a drip and covered in blood. I couldn’t open my right eye. 

I was extremely scared as I didn’t know what had happened and no one was with me at the time I woke up.

“The doctors informed my parents that I should have been killed from four separate injuries and that I was extremely lucky to be alive. I had to stay in hospital for five days. I had a fracture to my right eye socket. The hospital scans confirmed I had acute subdural haematoma and a skull fracture.” 

He said he found returning to college traumatic, not least because of the many times he had to recount the story told to him by others of what had occurred.

“From having no problems to having to deal with my mental health and physical health because of this is very saddening and frustrating for me. 

Ciaran Allen’s actions have caused me irreversible damage and I deal with the effects of the incident daily. 

"I hope I can one day overcome this trauma but I fear I’ll be feeling these effects for the rest of my life.” 

Brian Leahy, defence barrister, said the accused had worked as hard as he could to compensate the victim. 

Judge Ó Donnabháin said: “Unfortunately, from your client’s point of view – even though it is a one-off offence – the amount of damage he did is too serious not to mark the seriousness of it. I will remand him in custody until June 18.”