Cork man who assaulted 'old friend' three times in one night spared jail sentence 

A Cork man who assaulted an old friend three times in one night was told by the sentencing judge that he only had the victim to thank for the fact that he was not going to jail. 

Judge Olann Kelleher said that not alone was the injured party assaulted three times but he ended up losing his job because of his injuries. 

The judge said he would be very upset if that happened to him.

39-year-old Gary King of Lios Cara Grove, Killeens, Cork, faced sentencing today for three counts of assault causing harm to Jonathan Heffernan, an old friend with whom he had also worked in Australia.

Mr Heffernan said, “I don’t want to cause the man any more cost. I just want judgement. I don’t want him to go to jail.” 

Judge Kelleher said, “If he does not go to jail it is because of what this man (Mr Heffernan, the injured party) said.

“I have considered a jail sentence. I reconsidered it in view of what this man said.” 

The judge then ordered that the accused hand over the €700 compensation he gathered for the injured party. He fined him €500 for one of the assaults and imposed a six-month suspended sentence on him for the other two assaults.

Defence solicitor John Powell said previously that the defendant and the injured party had worked together in Australia and Gary King was very badly injured in an accident on his return to Cork and was unable to work. He said they fell out and there was bad blood between the parties.

Sergeant Pat Lyons said the parties encountered each other on April 7 2019 at the Commons Inn and the injured party was assaulted twice by Gary King. 

The defendant threw punches and there was a struggle between them on the ground.

The injured party said he was assaulted for the third time that night as he was walking home later at Parklands Drive when the defendant struck him in the knee with his own knee.