A Dublin court has sentenced Jordan Maguire, aged 24, to a jail term of three years and nine months following his involvement in a violent assault in a laneway near Temple Bar, which left a man with severe injuries endangering his life. With no known permanent residence, Maguire was the only individual police could identify from the CCTV footage of the assault, which took place on December 21, 2022, resulting in his arrest in February of the subsequent year.
The court prosecutor, Carol Doherty, stated that although Maguire was seen on CCTV assaulting the victim with a weapon, he was not the attacker responsible for the more grievous facial and head injuries inflicted on the victim, which resulted in slash wounds on his face and puncture wounds on his arms, back, and neck, requiring emergency surgery.
Recalling the incident, the victim stated he was in a laneway near Temple Bar, when he heard someone yelling at him. Despite not understanding what was being said, he recognised that he was the intended recipient of the comments. Prior to spotting six young lads approaching him, he heard one of them utter, “get the blade”.
During his trial at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Maguire pleaded guilty to assaulting the man. He has a prior record of 51 offenses, including violent assaults. The victim insightfully described the impact of the assault on his life in a statement read by his partner, citing it as a pointless act of aggression which nearly cost him his life and has since deeply impacted his emotional wellbeing, resulting in anxiety and a tendency to avoid social situations due to excessive questioning about his scars. He expressed his frustration and distress at knowing that the majority of his attackers are still on the loose.
While recognising Maguire’s guilty plea, Judge Martin Nolan highlighted the gravity of the assault. Despite sympathising with the unfortunate circumstances of Maguire’s life, which may have contributed to his unfortunate life choices, he affirmed that the assault was of the gravest nature.
Defending Maguire, Oisín Clarke noted the decline in his client’s life following the sudden death of his mother. His increased alcohol and drug consumption led to Maguire being thrown out of the family home and living on the streets.
Mr Clarke concurred with the magistrate’s viewpoint that his client was indeed involved in the attack, albeit in an active capacity, however, he emphasised that the gravest injuries were not inflicted by Maguire. The justice made it clear, stating, “Each offender contributed to the assault on him. The facts couldn’t be any clearer.”