A repeat offender who hit a Circle K worker in the face with a wine bottle in what a judge described as a “terrifying” assault on Christmas Eve has had his jail sentence suspended on appeal.
Jim Connors (30) with an address at Glenmuck Road, Carrickmines, Dublin 18 pleaded guilty in the District Court to assault contrary to section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.
The District Court Appeals Court heard today (WEDS) that on December 24, 2021 a panic alarm was set off at a Circle K service station on the Enniskerry Road, Kilternan, Dublin 18.
A staff member told gardai that Connors was attempting to steal three bottles of wine. When the staff member approached Connors, he was hit in the face with a wine bottle.
Connors fled the scene and was later arrested for assault.
The case was dealt with in the District Court along with other charges against Connors from 2021 and 2022 including theft, a public order offence and failure to produce a driving licence, for which he received a four-year disqualification.
The court heard that Connors has 55 previous convictions, including those for road traffic offences, burglary, public order violations and theft.
Defence counsel for Connors, Lydia Daly BL, told Judge Catherine White that her client is very apologetic for the incident and that he has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. She said he was appealing the case on the grounds of severity of sentence only.
Judge White described the attack as a “very terrifying thing to have happened” to the staff member.
She said the court would increase the original custody sentence from three months to six months but suspend the jail term fully for 12 months, on the condition that Connors would stay away from the Circle K in Kilternan.
She told Connors: “Your behaviour is really unacceptable. I hope this will be a learning curve.”