A young Donegal man who developed epilepsy after one punch has slammed the ‘soft’ sentence handed down to his attacker.
Denis Keenan from Letterkenny suffered brain injuries after an unprovoked attack by Ryan Gormley.
Gormley, 25, punched Mr Keenan outside the Four Lanterns takeaway in December 2011.
The victim, 29, spent 15 days in hospital and has not been able to work since the incident.
Gormley, of Ballyare, Ramleton, was sentenced to three months in prison but that last 18 months were suspended by Judge Keenan Johnson.
Victim Keenan said his attacker will be free in 18 months but he will have to serve a life sentence with his injuries.
Eighteen months was too short for what he did to me. He will be out soon, nit I will be paying the cost for the rest of my life.
“I was expecting him to get more – maybe the full three term or four years,” he said.
Denis said he was a completely different person before the attack.
“This has ruined my whole future. My memory has been affected, which is very frustrating, and I have awful moods swings which come out of the blue,” he said.
As well as the mood swings, Denis has failed to get a full night’s sleep and some of his taste buds are not working .
He added “People are not getting the jail sentences they deserve. My case could have been worse and I was lucky to come through it. My attacker apologised to me in court but it meant nothing to me,” he said.