A former international boxer broke a man’s jaw after playful “shadow-boxing” turned nasty.
Leon Gallagher, 22, struck Andrew Gallagher so hard he broke his jaw in three places and the victim had to eat soup for his Christmas dinner.
At Letterkenny Circuit Court in Co Donegal, he pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at McKelvey’s Bar, Ballybofey on December 16, 2019.
The court heard the men had boxed together as teenagers.
Leon Gallagher lost his temper and claimed the accused punched his brother.
CCTV footage showed the accused getting the victim in a headlock and delivering a number of blows.
Andrew Gallagher had to receive extensive treatment in hospital.
In his victim impact statement, he said his jaw had been “throbbing” after being struck by Leon Gallagher.
“I was in very severe pain. I couldn’t open or close my jaw,” he said.
He said the pain was worse in the cold weather and his Christmas and that of his family had been ruined.
Mr Gallagher works three jobs and had to take time off resulting in loss of earnings estimated at €7,550.
He said he had been a sociable young man but the attack had affected him mentally. The accused, of Cuilara, Belcara, Castlebar, Co Mayo, brought €2,000 in compensation to court.
From the witness stand he said: “I’m terribly sorry and hopefully, we can become friends again after this.”
His barrister Fiona Crawford said alcohol had been a factor and stressed her client had contacted the victim the following day by Facebook to apologise and would sort any medical bills.
She added Gallagher gave up boxing after he broke his hand and got into trouble.
However, he was a plasterer by trade and hoped to return to work shortly.
He was now in a stable relationship in Co Mayo and had become a father with his partner in January of this year.
He was now in counselling to address his alcohol abuse.
Judge Aylmer described the assault as a “very serious offence” he placed in the mid-range of such offences.
He added: “He was a member of the Irish boxing team. These fists are fairly lethal weapons.
“A sportsman engaged in boxing knows it’s imperative that he not use his fists other than in sport.”
He suggested the offence would merit a sentence of three years in jail.
He accepted Gallagher was remorseful, had apologised to his victim and was taking steps to address his issues with alcohol.
The accused was told to come up with €7,750 to cover the victim’s losses.
He sentenced Gallagher to two years in jail suspended for 12 months during which time he expected the compensation to be paid.
