Alleged assault at New Year’s Eve party

A 35 year-old man who challenged a woman that she was under age and should not be present at a New Year’s Eve house party in Oldcastle and who then injured her in an assault was termed a “thug and a bully” by a judge at Trim District Court.

In fact, the woman was aged 20 and was entitled to be there.

Vygintas Bialaglovis, with an address at Ardilaun Heights, Mullingar was charged with assaulting the woman causing her harm at Loughcrew View, Oldcastle, on 1st January last year.

Garda O’Shea told the court that at the party defendant had accused the woman of being underage. He struck her leaving her bleeding and two of her teeth were injured.

The garda said that on the night in question he denied ever hitting the woman. Court presenter Kevin Moroney said that defendant had five previous convictions, two of them for public disorder.

Solicitor Dermot Monahan said that his client was staying at the house that night. A lot of alcohol had been consumed. The “spark” that caused the incident came when it came to defendant’s attention that the woman was very young and she was asked to leave.

The Garda said that this was incorrect and that the woman was age 20. The defendant had been obstructive on the night but later made a cautioned statement. He alleged that he had “punched someone” while he himself was being punched by other people.

Judge Cormac Dunne said that it always the case that the strongest hit the weakest. They were “thugs and bullies” and then they tried to excuse it with alcohol, he said.

“Of course, if he had faced up to it and said ‘I thought this lady was 15, I made a mistake’ and the faced up to it, that would be different”.

Asked by the judge how the incident had affected her, the victim said that she hadn’t been socialising since it happened. Separate from the Covid pandemic, she said that she did not feel like it.

When the solicitor said that his client, a part-time hotel worker, had €300 in court by way of compensation, Judge Dunne said he was adjourning the case until 25th January next to allow for payment of €2,000 compensation to the victim. If the money was paid he would consider dismissing the charge under the Probation of Offenders Act.