Victim's jaw broken by man accused of Co Tyrone single-punch attack

The victim underwent surgery to have screws inserted after being knocked to the ground during a night out, prosecutors said.

Shannon McKenna, 24, of Maryville in nearby Sheskinshule, faces a charge of causing him grievous bodily harm.

He was granted bail but banned from entering Omagh or contacting the injured man.

Crown lawyer Stephanie Boyd claimed police saw McKenna launch the attack at John Street in the town on October 9 last year.

The victim was punched, falling back and hitting his head on the footpath, she said.

In a statement he described being struck as he walked out of the takeaway by an unknown assailant, the court heard.

“He later had surgery to have four screws put into his jaw to repair it,” Mrs Boyd added.

McKenna was previously released from custody, only to be detained again following a series of alleged drunken incidents in the same John Street area.

A defence barrister argued that there was confusion over an apparent prohibition on being at that location.

He also described his client as suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Following submissions Mr Justice Deeny said: “These unprovoked assaults on other young men can have fatal consequences.

“Here it’s had the quite serious consequence of causing the victim a broken jaw.”

But accepting there had been uncertainty around McKenna’s earlier release terms, the judge decided to grant bail once more.

He ordered the accused to live with his sister under curfew, electronic monitoring and with an alcohol ban.