A 21 year-old man punched a taxi driver in the face arising from a disagreement over a fare. This resulted in Jack Halpin of Johnstown, Navan facing a charge of assault, to which he pleaded guilty at Trim District Court. The injured party told he sustained a busted lip, that left him with a permanent scar, along with a back injury end following what occurred on May 28th last year.
Video footage was shown in the courtroom of the incident. The injured party said that he was still undergoing physiotherapy a couple of times a week for the back injury that he suffered. He was psychologically affected in his working environment by what happened. Damage to the covering of a wing mirror inside the taxi was also caused in the incident. Solicitor Maurice Regan said the defendant had handed over €4,000 to the injured party as a token of his remorse.
The defendant indicated from an early stage he wished to plead guilty. His behaviour was outrageous and there was no excuse for it. He had a clear record, never coming to the notice of Gardai. He added the defendant was extremely embarrassed and contrite and had not drunk since
the incident. He handed in a reference from the defendant’s employer. The incident would have a huge impact on the defendant from a job prospective.
Judge Eirinn McKiernan commented it was a very serious matter that had a serious affect on the injured party. She adjourned the case to September 9th next to receive a probation report and community service assessment, stating that she would consider all options in regard to
sentence.
