A 21-year-old Lifford man who stabbed another man in the back with a 12-inch knife has escaped jailed.
Jordan Porter was given 240 hours of community service by Judge John O’Hagan after he pleaded guilty to stabbing Graham Allen in his car at Buthcer Street in Lifford on June 29, 2015.
Porter, the Court heard, became involved with Allen. Allen had gone to Butcher Street to collect his girlfriend, who had been out with Porter’s girlfriend.
Porter was said to have become aggressive after taking a mixture of alcohol and ‘magic dragon’ a substance that was legal in Norther Ireland at the time of the incident.
Detective Garda John O’Sullivan said that Porter went into the house and got two kitchen knives before going at Allen, who was sitting in his car, and stabbing him in the back.
Gardai were alerted to another incident between Porter and his own mother later that night. Porter was arrested and taken to Letterkenny Garda Station. Gardaí became aware of a stabbing in the Butcher Street area and a knife was recovered.
CCTV showed that Allen attempted to drive off, but Porter stabbed him with the knife, inflicting a 20mm wound on Allen, who was not present at the hearing.
Defence counsel Peter Nolan (BL) said that his client had attended White Oaks for a month to receive addiction treatment and was now living with his mother again.
“He is a young man who made a grave error and I ask you to treat him a leniently as you can,” Mr Nolan said.
Porter, who faced a maximum five-year sentence, apologised publicly to the court.
Judge O’Hagan handed Porter 240 hours of community service in lieu of two years imprisonment.