A young third level student and part-time barman who had everything to live for had his life turned upside down after being left for dead in a laneway following a savage attack almost nine years ago leaving him with permanent facial paralysis.
One of his attackers, 34-year-old John Quigley with an address at 31 Mullacreevie Park, Armagh, was this week sentenced to six years at Galway Circuit Criminal Court. Quigley, who had been living at Carn Ard, Circular Road, at the time of the offence, pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to James Curley on August 26, 2001. The court heard that although Quigley had been arrested the following day he was soon granted bail and absconded to Northern Ireland. Despite persistant efforts by gardai it was not until November 2009 that Quigley was arrested on foot of an extradiction warrant and taken into custody.
Detective Garda Barry Carolan gave evidence that Mr Curley had been at Doc Watson’s public house in Westside before going to a friend’s house. At 4.30am the then 26-year-old left to go to another friend’s house when he encountered John Quigley and his brother Christopher at Gaelcarrig Park, Newcastle. The two men, who introduced themselves, then offered Mr Curley a can of cidar. Mr Curley accepted the drink and the men began to talk however, when Mr Curley mentioned he was working at Doc Watson’s the Quigley’s attitude suddenly changed for the worse as the owner of the pub had refused to serve their sister alcohol less than two weeks before.
The Quigley brothers soon lured Mr Curley up a nearby laneway where he was suddently set upon. Det Garda Carolan said that the Quigleys began kicking and punching their victim before dragging him further down the laneway and continuing to rain blows down on his head. The victim then lost consciousness. Residents in the area woke after hearing noises from the laneway and looked out of their windows but could not see the victim lying helpless on the ground. A witness heard one of the Quigley brothers say: “I’m going to kill him” while other witnesses observed the two attackers picking up objects such as car wheels and throwing them downwards. When a witness heard cries for help an ambulance was called at 6.12am. Det Garda Carolan said that this phone call had saved the victim’s life. The ambulance crew found Mr Curley bleeding profusely. He had also been covered over by two large industrial mats and car wheels.
As a result of the attack Mr Curley suffered a number of injuries including three separate fractures to the base of the skull, and a broken nose and thumb. Nerve damage to the muscles on the side of the face led to permanent facial palsy and paralysis to the left side of the face. There was also damage to the inner ear which led to a “dead ear” and permanant loss of hearing. The medical report also stated that Mr Curley’s left eye is unable to close without manual help, that he can no longer smile, is prone to drooling, and suffered post traumatic stress.
Reading from the victim impact statement and referring to a psychologist report, Det Garda Carolan said that Mr Curley and his family remain “traumatised”. The reports stated that Mr Curley who was once an out-going bright student and keen sportsman has become a recluse and is heavily dependant on his mother. The injuries have left him with a facial disfigurement that he cannot disguise, blurred vision, and a “constant feeling that the left side of his head is dead”. Mr Curley also suffers from frequent nightmares in which he relives the assault, and the feeling of suffocation and dying as the perpetrators of the attack did “leave him for dead”.
The court heard that Quigley, who is orginally from Armagh, but who had moved to Galway with his family in the early 1990s, is now in a stable relationship and has four children. Defence barrister, Cormac O’Dúlacháin SC, said that since 2001 his client has been living and working in Armagh and has matured and assumed family responsibilities.
Commenting on the “utterly savage” assault Judge Raymond Groarke said: “As they [the Quigleys] departed they left him covered with two large mats and wheels, they left him for dead. He was approaching death only for the action of witnesses who called the ambulance... His [Mr Curley] capacity to enjoy life has been turned totally upside down. The injuries are utterly and totally life altering. These people had one purpose that night and that was to kill him.
“Nine years have gone by since Mr Curley made that journey, Mr Quigley was able to enjoy life whilst his victim was left in a shadow,” said Judge Groarke who acknowledged that people can change over the years but that Quigley had remained away and failed to face what he did. He added that he had concern for Quigley’s level of remorse.
In sentencing Judge Groarke said that this “savage event which had life altering consequences for the victim” warrented a 10-year sentence however he took into account the guilty plea and that the man who stood before him was a different man to the one who carried out the attack. He then imposed a six-year prison sentence backdated to November 11, 2009, when Quigley was taken into custody.
