City assault left man with punctured lung
The case was heard at Waterford Courthouse.
A man was left with a punctured lung and a cracked rib after being the victim of a brutal attack in Waterford City.
Two Waterford men have avoided prison after pleading guilty to assault during a night out.
Bradley Maguire (23), of Larchville, and Owain Aquilan (25), of The Paddocks, Grantstown, were both charged with Section 3 assault and appeared at Waterford Circuit Court for sentencing. Maguire was charged with assault against two men.
On the night of May 13, 2023, both parties were out socializing when one man bumped into another at The Woodsman bar, John's Street.
The injured party was with his friends when, at closing time, it was pointed out to him that a group of men were staring through the pub window at him. He said in his statement to Gardaí: "I just saw it was dodgy."
He left the bar at around 2am and made his way towards Istanbul chipper nearby, alongside his girlfriend.
His female friend could see the men following closely but thought she was being 'paranoid'.
At the chipper he saw the men again, this time "rolling up their sleeves".
On John's Street, the man was set upon by the defendants and at least two other men. Maguire repeatedly punched him in the face and all over his body. The man suffered a cracked rib and a punctured left lung from the assault. The woman tried to intervene but was held back by the shoulder by one of the attackers.
The victim later said: "I don't know why they targeted me. I didn't do anything."
He was quickly brought to University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and stayed for over a week as an in-patient.
Another man, a friend of the victim, received an injury during the incident.
When Gardaí arrived on the scene, Maguire was holding his right hand, claiming to have injured himself from "punching at yer man".
CCTV from Hillbillies showed Maguire and Aquilan punching the victim as he tried to get up off the ground. Maguire could also be seen knocking over a woman during the assault.
Defence counsel Michelle Smith De Bruin BL told the court that Maguire had alleged that Aquilan and the victim had a verbal exchange earlier on in The Woodsman.
She said: "Something derogatory may have been said to him."
Judge Eugene O'Kelly stated that if the victim hadn't received prompt medical attention, the injury could have been fatal.
"His lungs could have filled with blood and he would have died," he said.
Maguire received 200 hours of community service in lieu of an 18-month prison sentence. Aquilan received a suspended sentence of two years and three months and an 18-month supervision order.
