Man’s hammer assault on mother’s ‘brutal’ attacker

Ciaran Morgan, 34, from Bruslee Way, was given a 160-hour community service order after a judge was told of the “extenuating circumstances” which led to him pleading guilty to attacking a 21-year-old with a hammer.

Belfast Crown Court heard that the man attacked by Morgan was one of two young people who launched a “brutal” attack on Morgan’s mother and her partner as they walked home from a friend’s house.

The couple, who are both in their 50s, were attacked from behind and brought to the ground where they were repeatedly kicked. The woman then had her handbag stolen, while her partner’s coat was taken.

The attack occurred in the New Lodge area of Belfast around midnight on February 10, 2016, and when the injured couple arrived at their house, Morgan reacted by arming himself with a hammer.

He left the house and in a bid to retrieve his mother’s handbag, he confronted the 21-year-old. Morgan then attacked the younger man with a hammer, which resulted in numerous injuries including multiple cuts to his scalp that required staples, missing teeth, and fractures to both hands.

The bar manager later admitted a charge of causing the other man grievous bodily harm.

Defence barrister Martin Morgan told Judge David McFarland that while his client appeared before the court with a clear record, the same could not be said for the 21-year-old.

Revealing the younger man’s “extensive criminal” record of 52 previous offences that included robbery, assault, burglary and hijacking, Mr Morgan explained his client’s motivation for confronting the other man was to retrieve his mother’s handbag.

Passing sentence, Judge McFarland said he accepted the hammer attack followed a “vicious attack” on Morgan’s mother and her partner, and he also accepted that Morgan’s decision to lift the hammer before leaving the house was more in self-protection than aggression.

The judge told Morgan “you have accepted your conduct was inappropriate” and compared his clear criminal record to the injured party’s.

Judge McFarland said he also noted “this was not a vigilante attack,” and spoke of Morgan’s good work record, before ordering him to serve 160 hours of unpaid work “for the benefit of the community”.