Laois man with 53 previous convictions punched elderly man in the face
Image for illustration purposes
A MAN who punched an elderly pensioner in the face after pulling his ears and hair has handed over €2,500 for the victim.
The elderly man’s nose was injured when he suffered a nasty, unprovoked attack in a local pub.
Gerard Nevin (54) of 9 Oak Park Halting Site, Portlaoise initially produced €500 for the victim, when he first appeared in court last December.
However, Judge Andrew Cody adjourned the case until this month, saying that €2,500 would be a more appropriate amount for the serious assault.
Mr Nevin had pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at Coppers pub in Market Place, Portlaoise on 16 July 2024.
Defending solicitor Philip Meagher handed in a further €2,000 on Mr Nevin’s behalf, at the adjourned hearing in Portlaoise District Court last Thursday. The court heard that a victim impact statement had not been provided.
Judge Cody adjourned the case again until 13 March to see if the elderly man wished to make a victim impact statement. The judge said he would prefer to know more about the effect of the assault on the injured party before passing sentence.
Sgt JJ Kirby told the original hearing that Mr Nevin approached the victim in the pub shortly after 10pm and began pulling his ears and hair, before punching him in the face. The sergeant said the assault was “nasty and unprovoked” and described the injured party as an elderly and vulnerable individual.
Mr Nevin had 53 previous convictions, including six for assault.
Mr Meagher said his client was extremely ashamed of himself for the assault, which began with “stupid messing, pulling at his ear lobes”. There was an injury to the man’s nose but thankfully it did not require stitches and steri strips were used.
The solicitor added that Mr Nevin was on a lot of medication for anxiety and depression at the time and had “over-consumed” alcohol on a night out with a friend. He wrote a letter of apology, was doing courses in anger management and managed to bring €500 to court, although he was living on social welfare.
