'You are lucky you did not kill him': Cork man jailed for unprovoked attack on vulnerable man, 66

The court heard the defendant knew the injured party and where he lived and effectively stalked his victim

The judge imposed a sentence of three years and four months, with the last four months suspended. File picture

A violent attack on a vulnerable 66-year-old man in the middle of the day at Great William O’Brien Street in Cork City resulted in the culprit being jailed for three years on Friday.

40-year-old Jonathan Mason of Farranferris Park, Farranree, Cork, pleaded guilty to carrying out the assault causing harm on a 66-year-old man at noon on Thursday, January 16.

Detective Garda Kevin Motherway said Jonathan Mason knew the injured party and where he lived and effectively stalked his victim, followed him and seriously assaulted him. He said the injured party did not know why he was targeted.

At an earlier court hearing in the same case, the accused said: “I am not a violent person. I stays in my nanny’s or in my partner’s in Charleville. I am clean of drugs. I’m on Suboxone. 

"I pass that way (where the crime was committed) every day to collect my tablet next door to Watercourse Road garda station. My dad is the same age (as the injured party). I wouldn’t like that to happen to my dad.” 

Defence barrister, Mahon Corkery, said of the accused: “He has had quite a chaotic lifestyle. He has a long history of severe addiction to diamorphine and has had extended periods of homelessness. He is deeply remorseful for this.” 

Mr Corkery said the accused instructed him that another person claimed to him that the injured party carried out an offence against that person. However, Det. Garda Motherway said this was the first he had heard of this, there was no evidence of it and no complaint was ever made of it.

Judge Boyle said: “This was a completely unprovoked assault in broad daylight. From the photographs in the book of evidence the injured party is a slight looking, frail man. You watched him in the shop, you followed him. 

You struck him in the head and he fell to the ground striking his head. You are lucky you did not kill him or cause him a serious brain injury. 

"You are lucky and he is lucky. He suffered multiple displaced fractures of his facial bones in and around his eye socket.

“Whatever you thought you were doing there was no excuse for it. And I note that you are apologising to him.” 

The judge imposed a sentence of three years and four months, with the last four months suspended. The sentence was backdated to January 23 when the accused went into custody.