Man jailed after woman struck in head by glass while dancing
A man has been jailed for throwing a glass at another man in a Cork pub and instead injuring a dancing woman, who had nothing to do with the situation.
Sgt John Kelleher said: “At 1am on October 15, 2016, in the Old Oak Bar on Oliver Plunkett St, a young woman was out socialising with friends.
“While on the dancefloor she was struck above the eye with glass. The glass caused two superficial lacerations above her eye and also some scratches to her face.
“She also experienced tenderness in her right shoulder, as the glass also struck her in that area.
“John Boland was identified by security staff as the person who threw the glass that caused the injury.”
Boland of St Vincent’s hostel, Anglesea Terrace, Cork, had 42 previous convictions, none for assault, but some for public order offences.
Frank Buttimer, solicitor, emphasised the absence of any previous assault convictions and said Boland did not intend to assault the woman in this present case.
Mr Buttimer said: “When the incident happened, the accused remained in the bar and was there when the guards arrived and was amenable to the guards.
He explained how the event happened. At the height of it, he was reckless rather than this being an intentional event.
"The injury was caused to the woman, whom he did not know. She just happened to be in the area at the time. This was an act of recklessness.”
The solicitor said Boland was responding to a man threatening his friend and, to prevent that person from doing something, he flicked or threw the glass. He said the injury to the woman was a matter of recklessness.
Judge Olann Kelleher concluded: “He did not intend to injure this person [the young woman], he intended to injure someone else.”
Mr Buttimer said 41-year-old Boland had recently obtained work and, if given a chance, he would make a compensatory payment for what, he believed, was not a permanent injury.
Judge Kelleher jailed him for five months.
He said it was very serious that someone out enjoying herself just dancing on a dancefloor would be injured in this way by a thrown glass.
