Cork man stabbed during fight is jailed for a year
A Victim Year Cork Sentence A In Affray Hayes Charge Of Of Was Engaging Given Luke One Circuit Court on An At Criminal Stab
A 27-year-old Cork man who was rowing with another man met him to sort things out but was stabbed in the leg — losing so much blood he was lucky to survive.
That was the scenario described at Cork Circuit Criminal Court where stab victim Luke Hayes was given a sentence of one year on a charge of engaging in an affray with the man who stabbed him.
Sergeant Garry Duggan described what happened on the afternoon of May 10, 2021.
At around 4pm that day, the two men arranged to meet at the junction of Magazine Road and Dorgan’s Road following a dispute they were having earlier in the day.
“Luke Hayes struck the second man in the head with his fist. The man fell on the roadway and Luke Hayes stood over him and struck him a second time.
“The man on the ground stabbed Luke Hayes in the upper leg. He attempted to stab him a second time. Luke Hayes grabbed the knife and caused an injury to his left hand.
“Luke Hayes lost a significant amount of blood. When questioned he said he was acting in self-defence,” Sgt Duggan said.
Defence solicitor Donal O’Sullivan said the man who stabbed him was prosecuted for assault. He got a sentence of two years with six months of that suspended.
“In respect of my client (Luke Hayes) he was very seriously injured. Had it not been for medical intervention he might not have survived,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
In recent years, Luke Hayes has been relying on the assistance of Cork Simon community, living at Gateway on Leitrim Street.
He pleaded guilty to affray and not assault for his part in the incident and he was not the one who brought the weapon, the barrister said.
He added: “Mr Hayes got a lot more than he bargained for.”
Judge Helen Boyle said: “This was witnessed by members of the public. They are entitled to go about their business without having to view acts of violence on the street.
“I accept you did not bring a weapon to the altercation. You yourself suffered very serious injuries. You had a troubled childhood. You had drug addiction issues and have been homeless through periods of your life.”
The judge imposed a sentence of 18 months and suspended the last six months, backdated to January 14.