Scottish visitor suffered horrendous injuries following knife attack in Ballyshannon

A young Mullaghmore man who “viciously” slashed a Scottish visitor in the face which needed 57 stitches, and in the chest, which needed 17 stitches, has been jailed for two years, at Donegal Town Circuit Court.

In jailing 18-year-old Sergee Kelly, Upper Mullaghmore, County Sligo, Judge John Aylmer said a suspended jail sentence would “send out the wrong message to young men who have recourse to assault with a weapon”.

He added that the offence “was far too serious to wholly suspend the sentence” and it was an “unprovoked assault”.

The judge imposed a four-year jail sentence on the defendant, with the final two years suspended.

The judge said the defendant was part of a “gang who battered and kicked Brody Williams after he had rightfully remonstrated with them for anti- social behaviour”.

The judge noted that the young man, who was drinking and taking drugs at the time of the attack, had made significant progress in rehabilitation and education and hoped he would continue that while in prison and on his release.

The young man was bound to the peace on a bond of €100 and was told to obey all instructions from the Probation Service on his release.

Garda Christopher Sweeney told the court earlier that the youths were smashing glass on the ground underneath the victim’s flat at Assaroe Falls at the Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon when the victim asked them to stop. 

The defendant had pleaded guilty to a charge that he assaulted Brody Williams, a Scottish visitor to the Festival on June 2, 2017, causing him serious harm.

A related charge of assault causing harm was not proceeded with and a charge of production of an article, a knife in the course of a dispute, was taken into consideration.

Brody Williams suffered horrific injuries, leaving him permanently scarred, the court heard.

The defendant was 17 when the offence occurred.

A harrowing victim impact statement gave some graphic details of the life altering injuries the 25-year-old Masters graduate, Brody Williams had suffered.

He was not able to come to court, but it was read out in his absence.

“I look and feel like a different person with a scar which doctors were too scared to treat.

“I suffered life changing injuries for no reason or fault of my own and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“My face is indented, and I have a horrible reminder by looking in the mirror after I meet someone."

The statement added that the victim suffered alopecia as a result of the stress, weight loss and panic attacks.

“My face is on fire and it is a vicious circle”.