Courts / Dublin / Report
Student who attacked gay couple and made homophobic slurs avoids jail
Summary
Charlie Lawlor, 21, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a woman and assaulting her partner during an incident on 11 August 2022 in Church Street, Dun Laoghaire. The attack followed a dispute with his girlfriend after they had been chatting with a gay couple in a local pub. Lawlor threw homophobic slurs such as "fuck the gays" and "dirty gays" and punched one woman, causing a facial laceration that required surgery and numerous stitches in her mouth. The other woman suffered bruising to her face. The court heard the victims were emotionally scarred and that one woman was left with a permanent facial scar. Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Lawlor to two and a half years, fully suspended, and ordered him to pay €7,000 to the more seriously injured woman and €1,000 to the other within nine months, with compensation to a charity if declined. Lawlor expressed remorse and is studying for a PLC course.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Student who attacked gay couple and made homophobic slurs avoids jail. Charges or matters: assault causing harm to one of the women, and to assaulting her partner during the incident, which occurred at Church Street, Dun Laoghaire on August 11, 2022. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- August 11, 2022 Incident
- 2024-01-31 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: assault causing harm to one of the women, and to assaulting her partner during the incident, which occurred at Church Street, Dun Laoghaire on August 11, 2022 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Lawlor was handed a sentence of two and a half years, which was suspended in full, on condition that he keep the peace for this period. "You understand that you should be ashamed of yourself?" the judge asked Lawlor, to which he replied: "Absolutely." A detective garda told John Gallagher BL, prosecuting, that on the night in question, Lawlor and his girlfriend got chatting to the couple in The Lighthouse pub in Dun Laoghaire.
Places mentioned
- St Patrick's Terrace
- Dublin
- Church Street
Topics
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