A man knocked a woman unconscious after he mistakenly hit her with a bottle in a bar row on a Co Donegal island.
Michael Harkin appeared at Falcarragh District Court charged with a number of offences.
All the offences relate to an incident at Phil Bans at Leagarrow, Arranmore Island on June5/6th, 2022.
The charges include assault, production of an article in the course of a dispute and two charges of breach of the peace.
The court had heard how Harkin, aged 21, of Ballymore, Dunfanaghy, had been drinking in Phil Ban’s Bar on Arranmore Island on the night.
The court was told that Harkin had been assaulted by another man and reacted by throwing a bottle in the direction of his attacker.
However, he missed his target and struck an innocent bystander Aoibheann Walsh.
The court heard that Miss Walsh was knocked unconscious after she was struck in the head by the bottle.
A victim impact statement on behalf of Miss Walsh was handed into Judge Eiteain Cunningham to read.
The full facts of the incident had been outlined to an earlier sitting of the court.
On that occasion, Judge Cunningham ordered the accused to pay his victim €1,500 in compensation before she decided on his sentence.
Passing sentence, Judge Cunningham told Harkin’s solicitor, Mr Frank Dorrian, that she accepted his unreserved apology this was a very serious matter and that she was going to record a conviction.
Mr Dorrian said he accepted what the Judge was saying, he again explained the manner of the incident in which Miss Walsh was struck saying it was “not a complete wanton gesture on his (Harkin’s) behalf.”
Judge Cunningham said she accepted this but said it was still “reckless.”
She found Harkin guilty of assaulting, confirming the payment of €1,500 in compensation, took the production of an article during the course of a dispute into account and struck out the breach of the peace charges.