Fisherman must pay substantial compensation to victim of assault
The defendant pleaded guilty at Castlebar District Court.
A part-time fisherman has been ordered to pay substantial compensation to a man he assaulted.
Patryk Zdunek, aged 31, of Lakeview, Castlebar, pleaded guilty at the local district court to assault causing harm to Johnny Rodgers, Spencer Park, Castlebar.
Gda Ciara Padden told the court she was on duty on March 3, 2022, when Mr Rodgers attended Castlebar Garda Station to report that he had been assaulted. Mr Rodgers suffered an injury to his upper lip.
A Garda patrol car found Zdunek in the area around The Mall. He was shown CCTV footage from around the time of the incident and admitted to carrying out the assault. A victim impact statement was handed to Judge Fiona Lydon.
Zdunek has several previous convictions.
Solicitor Tom Walsh said his client works seasonally on fishing vessels catching crabs and lobsters in Clew Bay. Zdunek's previous convictions usually involved alcohol and he has not come to Garda attention since this incident.
“His spare cash is spent on alcohol and this leads to trouble,” said Mr Walsh.
Judge Lydon said it was concerning that Mr Rodgers described Zdunek as "menacing" during the assault. While the victim had not suffered extensive physical injuries, the assault had a profound psychological impact on him, she added.
The judge ordered Zdunek to pay compensation of €2,500 to the victim. She also requested a pre-sanction report before adjourning the case to February 20 next.
