Cookstown man pulled victim from car and assaulted him

Warehouse worker Adam Wilbert Lennox (aged 20) from Ballygillen Road, Cookstown, admitted assaulting the man, causing him actual bodily harm, on January 26 last year.

District Judge Oonagh Mullan adjourned the case until November 4 to enable the Public Prosecution Service to obtain details of dental and optician fees paid by the injured party following the assault.

Ms Mullan remarked that she would be making a compensation order and she wanted to have those details before passing sentence.

She described it as a very unsavoury assault which had the potential of carrying a period of custody.

The court heard that Lennox had arranged to meet the injured party in a car park, and he had invited the victim to get out and fight.

Prosecution counsel said the injured party refused to fight him and the defendant had then grabbed him by the top he was wearing, tearing it, and pulled him out.

Counsel said Lennox punched the victim in the face numerous times. She said the injured party told police he was punched at least 20 times.

The lawyer said the defendant’s ex-partner got out and closed the door and the defendant stopped, enabling the injured party to get in and drive away. She added that he sustained a fractured nose, cut to the inside of his mouth, and required a tooth to be realigned.

Defence lawyer Michael Forde said wouldn’t go into details but from the pre-sentence report it appears an ex-girlfriend was involved.

Mr Forde said the defendant had lashed out at the injured party. He said Lennox would strongly deny punching the injured party 20 times.

He stressed that there was no previous history between the parties and there had been no further offending by the defendant.

Mr Forde said while it was a very serious charge, he suggested the court should dispose of the matter by a community probation order.

The lawyer said he had told the defendant on numerous occasions that the offence had the potential of a custody sentence.

Adjourning the case to obtain details of dental and optician expenses incurred by the inured party, Judge Mullan said she would be surprised if the defendant did not strike the injured party more than once given the extent of the injuries involved.

The judge added the PPS should have followed the expenses matter up prior to the court dealing with the case, as it is clearly detailed in the pre-sentence report.