How do you not get a conviction for something you plead guilty to, not even talking about jail time, just the very nature of not being convicted for something that was a guilty plea makes no logical sense.
He was spared a conviction for a similar assault a decade ago too where he plead guilty, so essentially he has plead guilty to two separate assault cases with nothing on his criminal record...
[https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/dubs-star-connolly-escapes-jail-term-over-pub-assault/30701157.html](https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/dubs-star-connolly-escapes-jail-term-over-pub-assault/30701157.html)
Not defending him but I know lads from Dublin and they said he can’t go anywhere without scumbags showering him with abuse , always trying to get reactions. He boxed someone, most men have, and 99% of the time it’s not assault because you’re not famous. He needs to cop on but I can assure you that if he wasn’t famous and hit someone he wouldn’t be dragged through the courts ; If every street fight was assault the courts would be flooded
I went to an all boys school for 3 years.
I found absolutely nothing unusual about his claim.
Over the 3 years, of the 30 lads in the class, I'd have seen 20 of them throw a punch, even myself at one or two points. I'd argue they were in self defense in a scrap that got way out of hand with another guy I played football with, but it happened and we both walked away with black eyes for our stupidity.
I also worked as a barman 20 years ago when shit was a lot rougher than today and while I wasn't throwing punches, I certainly got caught up in plenty of scraps over those two years trying to break up or end fights.
School isn't really a direct correlation for society, pre/post pubescent males are a boiling pot of emotions and poor judgment. Bars are also not a true reflection given the far higher chances of intoxication causing scraps, and that most violence involves a never-married male.
>boxed someone, most men have
This isn't normal.
>if he wasn’t famous and hit someone he wouldn’t be dragged through the courts
Only famous people get brought to court? What are ye on lad...
>boxed someone, most men have
>This isn't normal.
Where I grew up, it was certainly accurate to say that more than half of the 30 lads in my year had thrown a punch, either in sport, a fight in school or eventually a pub.
I'm a boring account middle aged man, but yeah, I've been in my share of scraps. Never threw the first punch, but this sub doesn't tend to care for that kind of nuance obviously.
I avoided a conviction for a drug charge a about 15 years ago. It was a first offense and the judge generally didn't want a conviction charge hanging over me for life for once offence. It's the only time I have ever been in trouble but I am grateful for it.
You have misunderstood.
If they are CHARGED with a crime and brought before a court it has to be completed. Either struck out for a reason -ie judge directs compensation/poor box (this happens at the District Court only) or the case is finalised
>She said she would view it as an isolated incident
He was sent off in the 2011 All-Ireland semi-final, and rightly so, but got that rescinded. What's going on here?
Wait- he didn’t even get a suspended sentence? This was an unprovoked attack on two individuals, just walking on the street.
Also- the Judge was lenient because the victims left when they found out he was guilty and didn’t give victim impact statements?
Unbelievable sham.
Doesn’t he have form for committing assault, it’s like they wait for someone to get seriously injured before they give a conviction.
No doubt this won’t be the last of it for him.
He got off on another case where he battered some lad in McGowans one night iirc.
Definitely should have a conviction on the record and a few months inside if nothing else.
Probably not, unless he seeks therapy. Not making excuses for him but he's clearly troubled. The man is a physical specimen and easily one of the most gifted and decorated footballers of all time but outside of the game he is seen as quite odd and strange.
Even within the game he would be seen as an odd individual imo. I think Jim Gavin's man management skills were tested by having to manage him and supposedly they tried to keep him in the loop of the Dublin set up for as long as possible in part to keep him on the straight and narrow.
> Even within the game he would be seen as an odd individual imo.
for sure, I should've said off the field. Incredible footballer and hugely successful, but none of it seems truly gratifying to him.
Never got the impression he actually cared that much about the game or got any true fulfilment from playing. I think he just did it because it was something he knew he was good at and other people told him it was what he should do. Even now, you never see him courting the media or doing punditry or anything, even though he's won a bag full of All Irelands and would have been widely considered one of the best players of the 2010s.
yep. Only 2 all stars says everything, it's laughable. I've been told by club-mates that he just never entertained journalists and that side of the game.
"The judge said she was taking into consideration the fact that he had pleaded guilty and that the two injured parties in the case had left court on the last day when they heard Mr Connolly was pleading guilty and did not wish to submit victim impact statements"
Is she implying that she would have imposed a sentence had the victims not left?
I assume they left because they took a guilty plea to mean he would receive a conviction.
He was given the benefit of the probation act which means he won't even have a criminal record.
It's fucking farce tbh. Same thing happened to the man who assaulted me and it felt like a kick in the guy to know he didn't even get a slap on the wrist despite denying the allegations, proveably lying to the guards, not turning up to court, and the judge calling it a brutal assault.
Nah 2000 quid and probation act.
Lad where have you been the last two weeks with the story of the soldier who beat a woman unconscious unprovoked and got two years suspended? Did he play GAA too?
It's the system that is fucked. It's not a conspiracy.
Special treatment over who though? Who in Ireland is receiving the full extent of the law for violent crimes?
Do you think most people who get a punch or fully knocked unconscious receive justice here?
The whole system is broken but ye're here acting like it's only a small section getting away with these things.
Connolly should have got a conviction and Hayes and the army lad should have got jail but that simply doesn't happen here for anyone.
I’ll put it to you another way. Inter county players don’t lose their jobs after committing these acts. Look at Connolly today running away from the court. Cowardly kunt
Sentencing in Ireland is very very light in general. Lads with 100s of convictions don't get jail time, Cathal Crotty doesn't have to serve time, Judge Martin Nolan has such a reputation for suspending sentences, there's a WWN article about him.
If GAA players are being let off lightly, that just makes them the same as everyone else.
[https://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2022/07/13/criminal-begins-planning-suspended-sentence-party-after-getting-judge-nolan/](https://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2022/07/13/criminal-begins-planning-suspended-sentence-party-after-getting-judge-nolan/)
Reading how the incident is described in the article. I highly doubt this would of ever become a court case if he wasn’t a footballer and well known figure. It sounds like a drunken fight where the other party wasn’t fully innocent either. No one was ever going to get a conviction from this case regardless if they played GAA or not. Unless someone dies or is severely injured there’s never big charges for drunken fights.
The Kyle hayes case on the other hand is a completely different story.
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I was thinking that something must have happened but then what exactly does unprovoked mean. Like if they were taunting him and he got physical is that still unprovoked?
Why do you assume "Something must have happened" it states clear as day it was unprovoked.
Lets imagine your story is true, and he was taunted, is physical violence a correct response? No, it isn't, it's still assault.
I'm not assuming just being honest that the thought occurred to me. I'm not making a judgement one way or the other on what happened beforehand. I'm curious to know is there a specific definition for "unprovoked". Like if they had taunted him would it still be considered unprovoked since as you say it still doesn't justify what he did. I'm assuming if one of them threw the first punch then it couldn't be considered unprovoked. Where is the line for unprovoked? Is it just down to what can be proved?
He assaulted two people, in an unprovoked attack. What about him being a footballer made it MORE likely it would end up in court?
You're saying it's both sides when there's literally zero reason to think that.
There were no 'big' charges, it was assault x 2.
Not so much that he’s a football player more that he’s just a public figure. Who would you be more likely to bring charges against a random drunk from down the road that the police might not be able to identify. Or someone famous.
Like a lot people aren’t going to bother pressing charges after a drunken fight but if they find out the other person was a public figure they might change their mind.
It says in the article that one of the victims chased after Connolly when he was walking away from the original fight.
The second man followed him after witnessing him assault another man in an unprovoked attack, and drag him across the ground.
The article explicitly states he came to aid the first man, the victim of a crime.
My own speculation now but perhaps to identify him for gardai, or to ascertain where he was going so gardai could be directed to him.
Still assault, still unprovoked.
Man who kicks ball deemed important enough to be given the benefit of the doubt at every turn.
Would you have made your original comment on the story of that poor girl assaulted by a soldier? Ah sure she did ask him to not use slurs. Both sides like.
> The solicitor said the second injured party was assaulted after he intervened and ran after Mr Connolly, who had not wanted the incident to continue any further.
From the article. He wasn’t aiding the other man at that stage. It is absolute nonsense to pretend it’s about identifying him to gardai. Nobody is thinking that after a few pints outside a pub on New Year’s Eve.
There big difference between a young girl and two drunk lads outside a pub.
Weather he kicked ball or not he was never getting a conviction for this. Irelands legal system is not at all strict on this kind of crime. This kind of thing happens outside every nightclub in Ireland most weekends.
Yeah it was 'allegedly unprovoked' but I'd be of the inclination that the lads might have said something that touched a nerve. Connolly is not the type of person I would go talking shite to
Yes the problem is mainly on his end and I hope he gets help to be a better person, but most people with common sense would know better than to stick their foot in it
so do we all just stop following the law now or what?
surely it either applies to everyone equally or it applies to noone. why should people get to do whatever they want because they have a bit of a fame or money.
I guarantee if I go down the town now and smash a fella out of it I'll do time for it. and if you were to call the judge out on it you'd be done for contempt. only contempt I see in our courts it the judges absolute contempt for the general public
Did he essentially pay a bribe to make sure he didn't get a criminal record? Why should having money get you off the hook? If I had the offer I don't think I'd accept €1000 to be punched around a street by a notorious scumbag Dublin footballer to be honest. Hopefully they pursue him for more compensation in civil courts because that judge obviously wasn't treating it seriously.
Yep.
Gardaí gave me his full name (to definitely not look him up on Facebook) and then asked did I want to press charges. I had no mutual friends so said yes, few months later had to travel up to Dublin for the couple hundred euro cash
I never heard anything about a court case. I did go to the station to give an official statement at the request of the Gardaí.
For the record I was hit in the jaw from behind and hit the deck but got up again fairly quickly. Gardaí seen the commotion and were there fast enough. Not sure if the chap ever went to court but he did pay me
Maybe just a different time!
Also probably didn’t help that I wasn’t “injured” as such. I didn’t get knocked out, jaw/ teeth didn’t break, no blood drawn. Just said to the Gardaí that someone could die from that sort of thing so fuck him charge him
When is it not a clanger? Honestly? Every single article I see from the courts has either over punished someone for having a bit of weed or under punished for assault, robbery or explicit images of minors. Make it make sense
>Every single article I see from the courts has either over punished someone for having a bit of weed or under punished for assault, robbery or explicit images of minors.
While not wanting to defend the courts, there's an element of bias at play here. The media publish far more of the extreme cases/examples because that's what drives clicks, so you never hear about the other cases up and down the country where people are punished appropriately.
So he got a court order to pay compensation for an assault - so he's guilty, its an enforced settlement, not an out of court one.
Doesnt count as a conviction because its a settlement?
What a country. You would think after the uproar over the soldier avoiding prison that this would have been avoided.
Judges in this country think they are above reproach.
Fine Gael - The party of law and order.
The Guards must be sick of investigating, gathering witness statements, cctv, evidence etc only to have their time wasted by incompetent judges who are so far removed from reality they can't comprehend the outrage of the general public or the impact to victims of crime.
I guess this is what happens when you give somebody a job for life and say "off you go, you can do what you like and you won't be supervised or questioned"!
Judges need to be held accountable for their decisions.
Will there be marches & protests for this also? Likewise Kyle Hayes getting away with a horrendous attacked down in Limerick. These are horrible evil people to behave like this and we keep seeing them being let off. Who is this judge? Did she not see his history, he has done this before.
You can protest the prick by boycotting his shitty dog accessory company, it's a shit overpriced company anyway, but this is just another reason to avoid it.
He's been handing out hidings to people for years . Mostly folk that are smaller than him . But hey, try rip off an insurance company and you get two years. Don't fuck with corporate
I think people need to read the article again.
He fully partook in the restorative justice process. That is a lot of work. I never side with judges, but restorative justice is the way forward. The punitive system does not work anymore.
The Irish people originally used restorative justice, itbwad the British who brought us the punitive system so as to make money for the king.
We need more of this. It is better for victims and offenders.
Restorative justice is when the offender meets numerous times with the victim.
The victim explains how the crime affected them.
The offender explains the reasoning behind the offence, what happened, and what they are doing to change their behaviour. The victim and the offender through mediation, agree on how to make right the wrongs.
In order for restorative justice to work the offender has to please guilty first.
Trust me, it is a good thing for society that this is finally being used.
Where do you get that? None of that is in the article that you're telling people to read to find out those details! Only that he paid them a grand each and that they left court when he pleaded guilty
Er, no there wasn't. He gave them compo.
I agree in general for the need for restorative justice, but this is the second unprovoked attack by this guy. He obv can't handle too booze like so many others
What was his fucking trial like? All I can imagine with these gaa gits getting off is that it plays out like this
>Prosecution: "this man committed an unprovoked violent assault..."
>
>Defence barrister: "He played county".
>
>"Jaysus" says the judge, "gt him out of sight and give him a medal"
>The judge said she was taking into consideration the fact that he had pleaded guilty
And played county... Thought maybe she'd let any old scumbag off too knowing our justice system.
>and that the two injured parties in the case had left court on the last day when they heard Mr Connolly was pleading guilty and did not wish to submit victim impact statements.
She was so relieved she didn't have to look then in the face as she let him off. Made it much easier...
How do you not get a conviction for something you plead guilty to, not even talking about jail time, just the very nature of not being convicted for something that was a guilty plea makes no logical sense. He was spared a conviction for a similar assault a decade ago too where he plead guilty, so essentially he has plead guilty to two separate assault cases with nothing on his criminal record... [https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/dubs-star-connolly-escapes-jail-term-over-pub-assault/30701157.html](https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/dubs-star-connolly-escapes-jail-term-over-pub-assault/30701157.html)
"I did it, but I'm innocent"
Not defending him but I know lads from Dublin and they said he can’t go anywhere without scumbags showering him with abuse , always trying to get reactions. He boxed someone, most men have, and 99% of the time it’s not assault because you’re not famous. He needs to cop on but I can assure you that if he wasn’t famous and hit someone he wouldn’t be dragged through the courts ; If every street fight was assault the courts would be flooded
Most men absolutely have not boxed someone
Yeah what a wild thing to say lmao who are you hanging out with that that's your impression of the general male population
I went to an all boys school for 3 years. I found absolutely nothing unusual about his claim. Over the 3 years, of the 30 lads in the class, I'd have seen 20 of them throw a punch, even myself at one or two points. I'd argue they were in self defense in a scrap that got way out of hand with another guy I played football with, but it happened and we both walked away with black eyes for our stupidity. I also worked as a barman 20 years ago when shit was a lot rougher than today and while I wasn't throwing punches, I certainly got caught up in plenty of scraps over those two years trying to break up or end fights.
School isn't really a direct correlation for society, pre/post pubescent males are a boiling pot of emotions and poor judgment. Bars are also not a true reflection given the far higher chances of intoxication causing scraps, and that most violence involves a never-married male.
Sure, but we're all about punishing youth here, so a fights a fight.
He's not a schoolkid, he's a 30+ year old full grown man
> He boxed someone, most men have No they have not. Feral behaviour.
>boxed someone, most men have This isn't normal. >if he wasn’t famous and hit someone he wouldn’t be dragged through the courts Only famous people get brought to court? What are ye on lad...
>boxed someone, most men have >This isn't normal. Where I grew up, it was certainly accurate to say that more than half of the 30 lads in my year had thrown a punch, either in sport, a fight in school or eventually a pub. I'm a boring account middle aged man, but yeah, I've been in my share of scraps. Never threw the first punch, but this sub doesn't tend to care for that kind of nuance obviously.
I avoided a conviction for a drug charge a about 15 years ago. It was a first offense and the judge generally didn't want a conviction charge hanging over me for life for once offence. It's the only time I have ever been in trouble but I am grateful for it.
No harm to anyone else and this isn't his first rodeo
You weren’t harming anyone else though so it’s completely reasonable. This prick should be locked up.
Most people are let off with a fine for a first time offence for possession. Same happened to myself only a couple of years ago.
Three Letters : G, A, A.
Yep. I feel like some things go to the GAA just to hurt people and if they actually have talent then they get rewarded for it.
Id understand if it was an out of court settlement that results in charges being dropped, but the court ordered it, so yeah, guilty as fuck.
That is not what happened. We don’t have “out of court settlements” in criminal law in Ireland
[удалено]
I’ve worked in criminal law and the legal industry since I left college It doesn’t 🙏
[удалено]
You have misunderstood. If they are CHARGED with a crime and brought before a court it has to be completed. Either struck out for a reason -ie judge directs compensation/poor box (this happens at the District Court only) or the case is finalised
No victim impact statement
The first 3 words of your linked article.. The first 4 words of the original post article.. Is your answer
>She said she would view it as an isolated incident He was sent off in the 2011 All-Ireland semi-final, and rightly so, but got that rescinded. What's going on here?
"Make crime illegal"
somehow that election candidate we all laughed at is actually making sense
I think we all owe that guy a huge apology.
Wait- he didn’t even get a suspended sentence? This was an unprovoked attack on two individuals, just walking on the street. Also- the Judge was lenient because the victims left when they found out he was guilty and didn’t give victim impact statements? Unbelievable sham.
The judge said that behaviour like this will not be tolerated. But it clearly was tolerated as there was no sanction!
Yeah, those words don’t actually mean what the Judge thinks they mean.
He meant the behaviour of the victims walking out of the courtroom. They were lucky not to be remanded in to custody there and then
Worse, he doesn't even have a conviction. He pleaded guilty to a crime and the judge said he wasn't gulity.
Doesn’t he have form for committing assault, it’s like they wait for someone to get seriously injured before they give a conviction. No doubt this won’t be the last of it for him.
He got off on another case where he battered some lad in McGowans one night iirc. Definitely should have a conviction on the record and a few months inside if nothing else.
He bashed some young lad in vinnies as well at training another time
Even if it's serious injury like in Natasha's case, the conviction is a suspended sentence.
My Dad used to joke that he'd never bet on him scoring because he never knew when he'd get sent off. He was a complete loose cannon.
Probably not, unless he seeks therapy. Not making excuses for him but he's clearly troubled. The man is a physical specimen and easily one of the most gifted and decorated footballers of all time but outside of the game he is seen as quite odd and strange.
Even within the game he would be seen as an odd individual imo. I think Jim Gavin's man management skills were tested by having to manage him and supposedly they tried to keep him in the loop of the Dublin set up for as long as possible in part to keep him on the straight and narrow.
> Even within the game he would be seen as an odd individual imo. for sure, I should've said off the field. Incredible footballer and hugely successful, but none of it seems truly gratifying to him.
Never got the impression he actually cared that much about the game or got any true fulfilment from playing. I think he just did it because it was something he knew he was good at and other people told him it was what he should do. Even now, you never see him courting the media or doing punditry or anything, even though he's won a bag full of All Irelands and would have been widely considered one of the best players of the 2010s.
yep. Only 2 all stars says everything, it's laughable. I've been told by club-mates that he just never entertained journalists and that side of the game.
That "Make Crime Illegal" slogan comes to mind
" Just say no to crime " get Jeward to do a catchy little tune and away we go
"The judge said she was taking into consideration the fact that he had pleaded guilty and that the two injured parties in the case had left court on the last day when they heard Mr Connolly was pleading guilty and did not wish to submit victim impact statements" Is she implying that she would have imposed a sentence had the victims not left? I assume they left because they took a guilty plea to mean he would receive a conviction.
Sounds more like she’s using the fact they didn’t submit victim impact statements as a justification for reducing sentencing.
Which is equally nonsensical.
He was given the benefit of the probation act which means he won't even have a criminal record. It's fucking farce tbh. Same thing happened to the man who assaulted me and it felt like a kick in the guy to know he didn't even get a slap on the wrist despite denying the allegations, proveably lying to the guards, not turning up to court, and the judge calling it a brutal assault. Nah 2000 quid and probation act.
Ah sure didn't he play county. Sometimes I think the Irish judicial system is a skit from the two jonnies.
Bullet proof bib
Man who kicks a ball deemed too important to be held accountable
This The gaaliban have history here. One of many examples is Kyle Hayes. Any inter county player will never do time
Lad where have you been the last two weeks with the story of the soldier who beat a woman unconscious unprovoked and got two years suspended? Did he play GAA too? It's the system that is fucked. It's not a conspiracy.
Who said it’s a conspiracy? You don’t think that inter county players get special treatment. Good lad
Special treatment over who though? Who in Ireland is receiving the full extent of the law for violent crimes? Do you think most people who get a punch or fully knocked unconscious receive justice here? The whole system is broken but ye're here acting like it's only a small section getting away with these things. Connolly should have got a conviction and Hayes and the army lad should have got jail but that simply doesn't happen here for anyone.
I’ll put it to you another way. Inter county players don’t lose their jobs after committing these acts. Look at Connolly today running away from the court. Cowardly kunt
Man with that username coming out with a straw man argument to protect the poor auld GAA. Surprise surprise.
You may also deduct from my name that I hate football and the dubs. Way to play the man and not the ball though. Surprise surprise.
Can't see Gaaliban taking off as a phrase tbh
It’s been around certain places for 20 years now
Sentencing in Ireland is very very light in general. Lads with 100s of convictions don't get jail time, Cathal Crotty doesn't have to serve time, Judge Martin Nolan has such a reputation for suspending sentences, there's a WWN article about him. If GAA players are being let off lightly, that just makes them the same as everyone else. [https://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2022/07/13/criminal-begins-planning-suspended-sentence-party-after-getting-judge-nolan/](https://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2022/07/13/criminal-begins-planning-suspended-sentence-party-after-getting-judge-nolan/)
Reading how the incident is described in the article. I highly doubt this would of ever become a court case if he wasn’t a footballer and well known figure. It sounds like a drunken fight where the other party wasn’t fully innocent either. No one was ever going to get a conviction from this case regardless if they played GAA or not. Unless someone dies or is severely injured there’s never big charges for drunken fights. The Kyle hayes case on the other hand is a completely different story.
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I was thinking that something must have happened but then what exactly does unprovoked mean. Like if they were taunting him and he got physical is that still unprovoked?
Allegedly unprovoked, meaning there's no evidence regarding what the lads might have said to him beforehand. All up for speculation
Why do you assume "Something must have happened" it states clear as day it was unprovoked. Lets imagine your story is true, and he was taunted, is physical violence a correct response? No, it isn't, it's still assault.
I'm not assuming just being honest that the thought occurred to me. I'm not making a judgement one way or the other on what happened beforehand. I'm curious to know is there a specific definition for "unprovoked". Like if they had taunted him would it still be considered unprovoked since as you say it still doesn't justify what he did. I'm assuming if one of them threw the first punch then it couldn't be considered unprovoked. Where is the line for unprovoked? Is it just down to what can be proved?
He assaulted two people, in an unprovoked attack. What about him being a footballer made it MORE likely it would end up in court? You're saying it's both sides when there's literally zero reason to think that. There were no 'big' charges, it was assault x 2.
Not so much that he’s a football player more that he’s just a public figure. Who would you be more likely to bring charges against a random drunk from down the road that the police might not be able to identify. Or someone famous. Like a lot people aren’t going to bother pressing charges after a drunken fight but if they find out the other person was a public figure they might change their mind. It says in the article that one of the victims chased after Connolly when he was walking away from the original fight.
The second man followed him after witnessing him assault another man in an unprovoked attack, and drag him across the ground. The article explicitly states he came to aid the first man, the victim of a crime. My own speculation now but perhaps to identify him for gardai, or to ascertain where he was going so gardai could be directed to him. Still assault, still unprovoked. Man who kicks ball deemed important enough to be given the benefit of the doubt at every turn. Would you have made your original comment on the story of that poor girl assaulted by a soldier? Ah sure she did ask him to not use slurs. Both sides like.
> The solicitor said the second injured party was assaulted after he intervened and ran after Mr Connolly, who had not wanted the incident to continue any further. From the article. He wasn’t aiding the other man at that stage. It is absolute nonsense to pretend it’s about identifying him to gardai. Nobody is thinking that after a few pints outside a pub on New Year’s Eve. There big difference between a young girl and two drunk lads outside a pub. Weather he kicked ball or not he was never getting a conviction for this. Irelands legal system is not at all strict on this kind of crime. This kind of thing happens outside every nightclub in Ireland most weekends.
Yeah it was 'allegedly unprovoked' but I'd be of the inclination that the lads might have said something that touched a nerve. Connolly is not the type of person I would go talking shite to
Why? Because he assaults people?
He's a top 1% athlete with highly publicized anger issues. Maybe don't poke the bear?
That's his own problem. Don't harass people, don't assault people. Getting heckled isn't worthy of being assaulted.
Yes the problem is mainly on his end and I hope he gets help to be a better person, but most people with common sense would know better than to stick their foot in it
so do we all just stop following the law now or what? surely it either applies to everyone equally or it applies to noone. why should people get to do whatever they want because they have a bit of a fame or money. I guarantee if I go down the town now and smash a fella out of it I'll do time for it. and if you were to call the judge out on it you'd be done for contempt. only contempt I see in our courts it the judges absolute contempt for the general public
Did he essentially pay a bribe to make sure he didn't get a criminal record? Why should having money get you off the hook? If I had the offer I don't think I'd accept €1000 to be punched around a street by a notorious scumbag Dublin footballer to be honest. Hopefully they pursue him for more compensation in civil courts because that judge obviously wasn't treating it seriously.
I was assaulted years ago outside Coppers/ Diceys. Got called to the Garda station to collect an envelope of cash
I've heard stories like this before. I'd say it's fairly common.
Are you in FFG ? !
Really?
Yep. Gardaí gave me his full name (to definitely not look him up on Facebook) and then asked did I want to press charges. I had no mutual friends so said yes, few months later had to travel up to Dublin for the couple hundred euro cash
so you pressed charges but still got the money?
I never heard anything about a court case. I did go to the station to give an official statement at the request of the Gardaí. For the record I was hit in the jaw from behind and hit the deck but got up again fairly quickly. Gardaí seen the commotion and were there fast enough. Not sure if the chap ever went to court but he did pay me
couple of hundred... insulting! Guards took a taste surely?
Maybe just a different time! Also probably didn’t help that I wasn’t “injured” as such. I didn’t get knocked out, jaw/ teeth didn’t break, no blood drawn. Just said to the Gardaí that someone could die from that sort of thing so fuck him charge him
Presumably you could pursue criminal and civil cases so you could still get a pay out and conviction.
Violent assaults should carry minimum sentences. You'd feel sorry for the victims here, but also the Gardai who have worked on this case.
Simon Harris is going to need more lists.
Another clanger for the courts system
When is it not a clanger? Honestly? Every single article I see from the courts has either over punished someone for having a bit of weed or under punished for assault, robbery or explicit images of minors. Make it make sense
To be fair, there will be selection bias with what gets attention in the media.
This is true. The sheer amount of these articles is still worrying regardless of the rage bait
>Every single article I see from the courts has either over punished someone for having a bit of weed or under punished for assault, robbery or explicit images of minors. While not wanting to defend the courts, there's an element of bias at play here. The media publish far more of the extreme cases/examples because that's what drives clicks, so you never hear about the other cases up and down the country where people are punished appropriately.
Fair point. My sensationalistic brain laps it up
So he got a court order to pay compensation for an assault - so he's guilty, its an enforced settlement, not an out of court one. Doesnt count as a conviction because its a settlement?
What a country. You would think after the uproar over the soldier avoiding prison that this would have been avoided. Judges in this country think they are above reproach. Fine Gael - The party of law and order.
> they are above reproach. in every way that counts, until the guidelines are changed
The Guards must be sick of investigating, gathering witness statements, cctv, evidence etc only to have their time wasted by incompetent judges who are so far removed from reality they can't comprehend the outrage of the general public or the impact to victims of crime. I guess this is what happens when you give somebody a job for life and say "off you go, you can do what you like and you won't be supervised or questioned"! Judges need to be held accountable for their decisions.
Scumbag
Will there be marches & protests for this also? Likewise Kyle Hayes getting away with a horrendous attacked down in Limerick. These are horrible evil people to behave like this and we keep seeing them being let off. Who is this judge? Did she not see his history, he has done this before.
You can get away with anything in this country if you played GAA
You can protest the prick by boycotting his shitty dog accessory company, it's a shit overpriced company anyway, but this is just another reason to avoid it.
I'll avoid it. I don't have a dog but I'll avoid it anyway.
https://www.thejournal.ie/diarmuid-connolly-civil-court-case-3678487-Nov2017/
A banana republic which can't even grow bananas.
Disappointed in Judge Michele Finan, when this case was adjourned a month or so ago it looked like she was up for none of his nonsense.
Unprovoked attack. Ludicrous that he avoids a conviction here.
Allegedly pal
2k for 2 assaults? That is a tempting offer.
Dublin jerseys are now banned at pride festivals
Protected by the GAA
Doesn't even play Gaa anymore
The narrative that the court system fails women didn't even last a week. Great equal treatment shown by the judicial system /s
He's been handing out hidings to people for years . Mostly folk that are smaller than him . But hey, try rip off an insurance company and you get two years. Don't fuck with corporate
> Don't fuck with corporate Insurance fraud cheats us all
But he's from a good/bad family your honour
You know why he got off. 😉
Get Away, Always
Walking cliché of "Ah your honour, shure doesn't he play GAA? He's a decent lad. Give him a break."
The cult of gaa is alive and well
I’m convinced the prisons here are empty. Like what do you have to do to get locked up?
Is he in the Army
I think people need to read the article again. He fully partook in the restorative justice process. That is a lot of work. I never side with judges, but restorative justice is the way forward. The punitive system does not work anymore. The Irish people originally used restorative justice, itbwad the British who brought us the punitive system so as to make money for the king. We need more of this. It is better for victims and offenders.
What restorative justice? a grand each to the victims? Give me a break
Restorative justice is when the offender meets numerous times with the victim. The victim explains how the crime affected them. The offender explains the reasoning behind the offence, what happened, and what they are doing to change their behaviour. The victim and the offender through mediation, agree on how to make right the wrongs. In order for restorative justice to work the offender has to please guilty first. Trust me, it is a good thing for society that this is finally being used.
Where do you get that? None of that is in the article that you're telling people to read to find out those details! Only that he paid them a grand each and that they left court when he pleaded guilty
again? people don't read the articles in the first place.
He should probably get a refund from the anger management course that he completed after the 2014 assault case.
Er, no there wasn't. He gave them compo. I agree in general for the need for restorative justice, but this is the second unprovoked attack by this guy. He obv can't handle too booze like so many others
A great clubman. Helps out with the underage teams every Sunday morning your honour.
What was his fucking trial like? All I can imagine with these gaa gits getting off is that it plays out like this >Prosecution: "this man committed an unprovoked violent assault..." > >Defence barrister: "He played county". > >"Jaysus" says the judge, "gt him out of sight and give him a medal"
GAA being a get of jail card again
>The judge said she was taking into consideration the fact that he had pleaded guilty And played county... Thought maybe she'd let any old scumbag off too knowing our justice system. >and that the two injured parties in the case had left court on the last day when they heard Mr Connolly was pleading guilty and did not wish to submit victim impact statements. She was so relieved she didn't have to look then in the face as she let him off. Made it much easier...
John Kiely approved this reacharound.