Innocent man beaten with a hammer on the street - for a packet of cigarettes

rubberdiddies

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/innocent-man-beaten-with-a-hammer-on-the-street-for-a-packet-of-cigarettes-31023597.html

A 24-year-old man who carried out an unprovoked hammer attack on a defenceless chef for a €9.50 packet of Benson & Hedges has been sentenced to three years in jail.
However, D****c H***s, of Inis Eagla, Shannon, Co Clare - who an expert says has a high risk of re-offending - will walk free later this year.

This arises from H***s being in custody in relation to the offence since August 2013 and Judge Gerard Keyes suspending the last three months of the three-year jail term.

With remission for good behaviour, H***s can expect to walk free towards the end of the year......
......At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Keyes said he was fortunate not to be before the court on a more serious offence.

"Hitting someone on the head with a hammer can lead to death or permanent disability," he said.

Gda Lorraine Quain said Hayes approached Paul Culligan (27) from behind on August 4, 2013 and hit him twice on the head with a hammer.

With blood streaming from his wounds, Mr Culligan lost consciousness and Hayes dragged him to an alley and hit him again with the hammer, breaking his collar bone.

I don't usually like posting stories like this as they are a daily occurence but this really riles me up.

The judge said that he was fortunate not to be in front of him for a more serious offence. More serious? So hitting someone on the head with a hammer until blood streams from him and he loses consciousness isn't considered serious these days?

This guy supposedly has a high risk of re-offending yet the judge not only gave him a crappy 3 year sentence, but suspended 3 months of it.

Why can't this be considered attempted murder?

It prompted me to do a bit of research in my local paper online. The amount of offenders up before the court being found guilty of violent offences, being allowed to walk, despite having several convictions is incredible.

Do judges not want to jail them? Are judges afraid of repercussions? Or is there such an overcrowding issue that judges have been 'instructed' to keep as many out as possible?

I realise this is AH but I needed to rant a little

Sonderkommando

What an absolute sub human, should have been charged with attempted murder.

cruais

As i say all the time . ..

The judicial system in this country is shambolic

gerarda

What we need in this country is this:

Zombienosh

cruais wrote: »

As i say all the time . ..

The judicial system in this country is shambolic

Stories like this really hammer it home.

keithclancy

People that commit violent crime such as this should be put on an Island covered in hidden cameras with enough food for 50% of the prison island population.

The TV Rights for this reality show called "Scumbag Island" should go towards payment to the people they have wronged.

At least they would be giving back something to the people they have wronged rather than saying "I regret what I did but there's no premium channels on the UPC in my prison cell and I hardly get any buzz off the skag in here"

bb1234567

God , can't even imagine hitting another human being over the head with a hammer. You'd want to have some lack of empathy and morals. Don't think I could even lob a hammer into hitlers skull tbh. Or maybe Im just squeamish.

Mint Sauce

rubberdiddies wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/innocent-man-beaten-with-a-hammer-on-the-street-for-a-packet-of-cigarettes-31023597.html



I don't usually like posting stories like this as they are a daily occurence but this really riles me up.
The judge said that he was fortunate not to be in front of him for a more serious offence. More serious? So hitting someone on the head with a hammer until blood streams from him and he loses consciousness isn't considered serious these days?

This guy supposedly has a high risk of re-offending yet the judge not only gave him a crappy 3 year sentence, but suspended 3 months of it.

Why can't this be considered attempted murder?

It prompted me to do a bit of research in my local paper online. The amount of offenders up before the court being found guilty of violent offences, being allowed to walk, despite having several convictions is incredible.

Do judges not want to jail them? Are judges afraid of repercussions? Or is there such an overcrowding issue that judges have been 'instructed' to keep as many out as possible?

I realise this is AH but I needed to rant a little

So for what was he tried for, and how much more damage do you have to do, to get done for attempted murder?

Another example of our out of touch policing and justice system.

DoYouEvenLift

I don't know enough about law so can someone who does explain what is wrong with judges like this? Why do they hand out such ridiculous sentences? Why are there so few judges that actually provide some bit of justice through their sentences by giving the convicted criminals hefty time behind bars?


This guy had a hammer which is honestly a lethal weapon in the wrong hands, like in this case, and this absolute scumbag who was and is going nowhere in life used one to hit another person on what's essentially the most important part of the body and an easy area to end someone's life. Why is this not attempted murder and why was he not given as long a sentence as possible? What the fuk is wrong with these beta judges?

Maximus Alexander

Where did he find smokes for €9.50? They seem to be a tenner everywhere now.

Hans Bricks

That's attempted murder in my eyes.

And people wonder why vigilantism exists ?

El Weirdo

DoYouEvenLift wrote: »

I don't know enough about law so can someone who does explain what is wrong with judges like this? Why do they hand out such ridiculous sentences? Why are there so few judges that actually provide some bit of justice through their sentences by giving the convicted criminals hefty time behind bars?


This guy had a hammer which is honestly a lethal weapon in the wrong hands, like in this case, and this absolute scumbag who was and is going nowhere in life used one to hit another person on what's essentially the most important part of the body and an easy area to end someone's life. Why is this not attempted murder and why was he not given as long a sentence as possible? What the fuk is wrong with these beta judges?

The judge doesn't decide what the defendent is charged with.

The article is terrible. It quotes the judge as saying he was lucky for not being charged with a more serious offence, yet doesn't mention what exactly he *was* charged with. It also doesn't say whether he pleaded guilty or not. The judge can only pass sentence on the crime the defendent is on trial for.

ScumLord

El Weirdo wrote: »

It quotes the judge as saying he was lucky for not being charged with a more serious offence, yet doesn't mention what exactly he *was* charged with.

He didn't have the cert for using a hammer.

sbsquarepants

Why is his name not visible by the way?

Timberrrrrrrr

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Why is his name not visible by the way?

Wondered that myself, It's in the public domain so not a secret.

However, Dominic Hayes, of Inis Eagla, Shannon, Co Clare - who an expert says has a high risk of re-offending - will walk free later this year.

I said it time and again. if that judge had to look forward to same offender as a neighbour or poetential son in law, I'm sure the time would fit the crime.

they head of to the leafy suburbs, job well done, pats himself on the back.
cant think who's the bigger scumbag here as neither judge nor scummer can understand their required use for respective Hammer/gavel!

El Weirdo

rusty cole wrote: »

I said it time and again. if that judge had to look forward to same offender as a neighbour or poetential son in law, I'm sure the time would fit the crime.

they head of to the leafy suburbs, job well done, pats himself on the back.
cant think who's the bigger scumbag here as neither judge nor scummer can understand their required use for respective Hammer/gavel!

But do we know what exactly he was charged with? Maybe the judge was tied by the maximum sentence? As I said, we don't know if he pleaded guilty or not either, which would also have had an influence on the judge's sentencing decision.

nokia69

rusty cole wrote: »

I said it time and again. if that judge had to look forward to same offender as a neighbour or poetential son in law, I'm sure the time would fit the crime.

they head of to the leafy suburbs, job well done, pats himself on the back.
cant think who's the bigger scumbag here as neither judge nor scummer can understand their required use for respective Hammer/gavel!

the legal industry in Ireland have no interest in fixing the crime problem

its their bread and butter

Arsemageddon

Bit more detail on this case in the Clare Champion (can't quote the text)

http://www.clarechampion.ie/hammer-attack-for-a-packet-of-cigarettes/

In summing up the judge pointed out that that the attacker has serious psychological problems but there are still no suitable facilities in Ireland to treat him.

As for the usual 'judges are out of touch' comments, judges sit in court day in day out hearing cases like this, other than Gardaí and prison officers there's no one more in touch with how criminal justice in Ireland works.

Judges don't get to set policy.