Longford man who showed signs of 'remorse, shock and horror' must pay €5,000 compensation to assault victim

A county Longford man who viciously assaulted another man has been directed by a judge to engage with the probation services and pay €5,000 in compensation to the victim.

Matthew Cox (28) of Cloncallow, Ballymahon pleaded guilty at Longford Circuit Court to assault causing harm on the grounds of St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford town on October 23, 2023.

Det Garda Louise Fleming who was led in her evidence by State prosecutor Shane Geraghty BL, said she was alerted shortly after 1.30am that a serious assault had been reported.

The court heard Midoc contacted Gardaí after the assault victim Eoghan McLoughlin (26) walked into their office with serious head and facial injuries.

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Det Gda Fleming and Garda Daly attended, and they spoke to the receptionist who told them the victim had been taken by ambulance to Mullingar General Hospital by ambulance.

The Gardaí went to the grounds of St Mel’s Cathedral, and they noticed some blood and the area was cordoned off and preserved.

Det Gda Fleming later visited the hospital and after Mr McLoughlin was awake she took a written statement from him.
Gardaí also made enquiries and identified Mr Cox as a suspect.

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The court heard the defendant, through his solicitor Frank Gearty made contact with Garda Inspector Declan McGlynn and informed him his client wished to cooperate.

Gardaí drove to Mr Cox’s apartment in Ballymahon at 5pm the day after the incident and they seized clothing, footwear, a hat and bedsheets with blood on them as evidence.

Garda Fleming said Mr Cox handed officers a voluntary written statement and he was arrested.

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The court heard the defendant's partner told Gardaí she remembered Mr Cox knocking on the door at around 2.30am and when she opened the door and turned on the light she noticed there was blood on his hands and on his cheekbone.

During interview, Mr Cox, who was born in Florida, USA and moved to Ireland when he was eight, also admitted he had taken Mr McLoughlin’s phone.

Mr Cox described his recollection of the fight as being ‘hazy’, while the victim Mr McLoughlin, stated he had no memory of the incident.

There were no witnesses or CCTV footage of the assault.

The victim said he saw “someone, perhaps more than one person” outside the Cathedral and the next thing he remembered was waking up on the ground about two hours later.

Gardaí asked Mr Cox how many drinks he had consumed, and he replied, “maybe 12 bottles, six or seven pints” and he added he had not eaten anything.

Mr Cox said he could recall punching the victim in the head and body and he then “put him in the recovery position”.

After viewing photographs of the injuries and being charged by Gardaí, Garda Fleming said Mr Cox showed signs of 'remorse, shock and horror'.

He also asked officers to pass on an apology to the victim who declined to make a victim impact statement or attend court.

The court heard Dr Richard Lynch examined Mr McLoughlin and noted he had a large wound and laceration on the back of his head, his nasal septa deviated to the right side and he had bruising all over his face.

The victim was said to be still suffering from constant pressure behind his nose, a painful nose when touched and frequent nose bleeds and he suffered with severe headaches for one month after the assault.

Mr Cox had no previous convictions.

Defence barrister Niall Flynn BL said Mr Cox is currently working remotely for British Telecom and earning €450 per week.

Mr Flynn said his client, who previously worked as a lifeguard at Center Parcs, saved two lives during his time there, and he did independent swimming lessons for adults and children.

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Mr Flynn asked Judge Kenneth Connolly to consider his client’s early guilty plea which he said had been of assistance to Gardaí and significantly, it spared Mr McLoughlin having to come to court.

Mr Cox, who took the stand, confirmed he has applied to join the Irish Navy and passed his medical and spectrometric tests and he is waiting to complete his Garda vetting form.

Judge Connolly asked if that was posing difficulties, and he heard Mr Cox had “concerns about a recorded conviction for assault”.

The court heard Mr Cox had recently moved accommodation and he had limited funds, but he could afford to pay an initial €500 compensation to Mr McLoughlin, which Judge Kenneth Connolly described as being ‘despicable’.

Judge Connolly stated the attack was ‘inexplicable’ and he directed Mr Cox to engage with the probation services to ascertain if he is suitable for community service and pay the hefty compensation amount.

Judge Connolly told Mr Flynn if the defendant followed the directions he would ‘hear again from you how I can assist his career’ and he adjourned the case until July 15.

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