A Letterkenny man, who struck a man in the face with a wheel brace inflicting a number of injuries including a broken cheek bone, broken nose, broken jaw, with the victim also suffering the loss of eight teeth, has been remanded in custody to await sentencing at Letterkenny Circuit Court.
Shane Hunter of Ballyboe, Glencar, pleaded guility to the charge of assault on Enda Bonner at Knocknamona on January 29th, 2006.
The victim told Tuesday’s sitting of the court that he had been hospitalised for over a week as a result of the blow,
having undergone surgery so that fragments of his teeth could be removed. His jaw had been wired shut and he was forced to drink liquid through a straw for a period of between two to three months.
He told Judge John O’Hagan that he had a denture plate in and intended to have implants.
Giving evidence, Garda Kevin Lynch said he had been on mobile patrol in Letterkenny at around 3.20.a.m. on the morning in question when he observed a car travelling at high speed on the De Valera Road. The car pulled in at a house in Glencar and the driver got out and ran into the house.
When the Garda called he was met by the mother of the man and he enquired where the latter had gone. When he spoke with Hunter he was in an “agitated state”. The accused informed him that he had been involved in an incident near the Donegal Hospice. A person had been assaulted and he, Hunter, had fled the scene.
Garda Lynch drove to the scene and discovered fresh blood on the roadway. He then went to the Accident & Emergency department at Letterkenny General Hospital where he spoke with the girlfriend and the mother of the injured party.
Some time later, Mr. Bonner of Carolina Park, Letterkenny had given a statement where he related how he had been travelling from Convoy to Letterkenny in the company of his girlfriend when a blue Honda Civic, driven by Hunter who he knew, started stopping and braking in front of him. He attempted to pass out on a number of occasions.
Later at around 3.a.m., Mr. Bonner and his girlfriend left a nightclub and were in their car when once again the Honda Civic came up behind them. “He pulled in in front of them and engaged in the same type of antics,” the Garda told the court.
The couple had flashed their lights at the accused and eventually, just outside Letterkenny, stopped and pulled in. Hunter’s own car stopped and he got out and Mr. Bonner and himself walked towards each other. Mr. Bonner saw an implement in Hunter’s hand which turned out to be an extendible wheel brace. He struck Mr. Bonner a blow across the face and the victim had “blacked out” for between ten to fifteen seconds.
The medical report showed that the victim had suffered a broken cheek bone, a broken nose, broken jaw and had lost eight teeth. He also had lacerations on the lip and bruising on his chest. The wheel brace had not been recovered, stated Garda Lynch.
Hunter had subsequently made a statement in the presence of his mother in which he stated he was travelling along with a friend, Thomas Collier, on the night of the incident when he observed a car pulling up tight behind him.
