By Gordon Deegan
A judge has jailed a 29-year-old Co. Clare man for 14 months for a “bite” assault on a farmer in a pub last May.
At Ennis Circuit Court, state counsel Lorcan Connolly BL described how Brian Joyce bit into the cheek of farmer John Killeen and “latched” onto Killeen’s cheek as other pub goers at the Kilmaley Inn, Kilmaley, Co. Clare, manhandled Joyce out of the pub on May 27 last.
CCTV footage of the bite assault, played in court, showed blood coming from the wound on Killeen’s left cheek.
Judge Francis Comerford said that Joyce “used his teeth as a weapon” and latched onto the cheek of Killeen.
Previously, Joyce gained notoriety when flashing his genitals at a shocked district court judge in a court room in Ennis in 2015.
Judge Comerford also imposed a consecutive two-month prison term on Joyce for an “upper end” public order offence.
The court was told that in a public order incident last June 26, Joyce again exposed his genitals and backside to Gardaí when they made a 4:00a.m call to his home at St. Enda’s, Beechpark, on the outskirts of the Clare county town.
Concerning the bite assault, Judge Comerford said that Joyce had inflicted a “nasty” injury on Killeen.
Joyce was present with his uncle in the pub on the night and Judge Comerford said that there was “high tension” in the pub prior to the assault.
Imposing sentence, Judge Comerford said that he accepted that Joyce was attacked from behind by Killeen as Joyce intervened in an altercation involving his uncle and another man.
Killeen did not make a statement to Gardaí concerning Joyce’s assault on him and the court was also told that Killeen received an adult caution for his role in the violent incident.
Judge Comerford said that the fact that Joyce was attacked from behind reduced his culpability in the assault.
Joyce has 38 previous convictions including one for assault causing serious harm.
In 2017, Joyce received a six-and-a-half-year jail term with the final 18 months suspended for an assault on Danny Harty, where the latter sustained slash wounds requiring 100 stitches to his face.
Of Joyce’s previous 38 convictions, 29 relate to road traffic offences.
Counsel for Joyce, Amy Nix BL, said that her client has had a lot of tragedy in his life, losing his father in tragic circumstances in 2013, and a brother who was murdered in 2017.
Nix said that Joyce’s time in jail will mean that he will miss his daughter’s upcoming Holy Communion, which is second only to her wedding day in the family’s life, and that he will be devastated to miss it.
Nix said that Joyce left school aged 14 and is illiterate, but has been making progress in prison through music, English and art classes.
Nix also said that Joyce expresses his emotions through his art, and handed examples of his drawings to Judge Comerford.
Nix added that Joyce wishes to apologise for his actions and is extremely remorseful.
Joyce pleaded guilty to each offence in court.
Nix said that Joyce, on the night in question, was self-soothing his depression through the consumption of alcohol.
Judge Comerford backed the consecutive prison sentences to last July 18, when Joyce first went into custody.