Crusty jailed for racist attack

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday June 21, 2004 11:39 by Raymond Bruton Ray.Bruton at cocacolaireland dot com

A Glen Of the Downs protesting crusty attacks a somalian man in Dublin nightclub.

A Glen Of the Downs protestor who thrust a knife into a Somalian's mouth after insulting him racially at a Dublin night club has been jailed for three years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Stuart Murphy (aged 27), a Corkman of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and to brandishing a knife on O?Connell Street on September 19, 2002. He also pleaded guilty to stealing a car and driving it dangeoursly on Westmoreland Street on January 15, 2003. Sergeant Sean McAvinchey told prosecuting counsel, Mr Paul Green BL, Murphy approached the Somalian at the Parnell Mooney disco and asked to share some cannabis being smoked at the table. During the conversation that followed the injured man, who was socialising with friends, became uneasy at the turn the conversation with Murphy was taking and began ignoring him. Sgt McAvinchey said Murphy became angry as he continued to be ignored and began making remarks about foreigners arriving in Dublin and taking jobs from Irish citizens. He then took a knife and thrust it into the Somalian man?s mouth. The injured man, whose mouth was cut, warned others in the premises that Murphy had a knife and he ran out of the club. Some people followed him and he began brandishing the knife while standing near a taxi rank on O?Connell Street. "I will kill you, you black bastards," he shouted while threatening to use the knife. He was apprehended shortly afterwards by gardaí from Store Street station who were patrolling the area. Murphy was on bail for the offences when he was seen driving a stolen car on Westmoreland Street on January 15, 2003. When gardaí on the look out for the car had asked him to pull over he refused to do. He then tried to reverse the car forcing one coming behind him to swerve in order to avoid a collision. Counsel for Murphy, Mr Sean Gillane BL, said his client apologises for the racial insults and wanted the court to know that they were in no way consistent with the views he normally held. As a man who cared for the environment and the world at large, he was not prone to such views. Mr Gillane said Murphy suffered from transient psychotic incidents triggered by his dependence on various drugs. Judge Michael White sentenced Murphy to two and a half years for the knife attack and to six months consecutively for stealing the car and driving it dangerously.