A GAA player who fractured another footballer's eye socket, leaving him with impaired vision after an "off-the-ball" incident in a club match, avoided jail but must pay €20,000 compensation.
READ MORE: Enoch Burke released from Mountjoy after more than 400 days in prison over two stints behind bars Mr Reilly was in severe pain and treated by specialists at St James's Hospital and the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin with regular visits for a year. The court also heard that he had lost his passion for playing Gaelic football.
"I want to make clear it is not a case of Mr Molloy buying his way out of trouble, but him suffering the pain of having to earn €20,000, which will be of some assistance to Mr Reilly in his recovery. Incarceration of the accused is not appropriate given his lack of previous convictions and the fact this offending was an aberration for him and bearing in mind it took place during a heightened GAA event where a competitive element overtook the sporting motivation.
A Maryland witness told Gardaí that "Molloy ran from behind and struck Mr Reilly in the eye". Mr Reilly was in pain and had double vision in his right eye immediately afterwards. The court heard he has permanent damage in his right eye and impaired vision. Mr Reilly told the court in his victim impact statement that his socket was subsequently sunk and had permanent damage to his central vision in his right eye, which cannot be corrected with glasses or laser surgery. It remained difficult to see text with that eye, impacting his ability to work as a process manager in a high-precision medical device manufacturing facility.