GAA star avoids jail for off-the-ball assault in match, must pay victim €20k

Tom Molloy, 26, who was on the Westmeath County Committee at the time, was playing as a midfielder for his club Shandonagh during an away match against local rivals Maryland on February 24, 2019.

He was jailed for two and a half years after pleading guilty at Mullingar District Criminal Court to assault causing harm to Maryland GAA winger Liam Reilly.

The self-employed electrician, from Rathcolman in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, who has no previous convictions, admitted using excessive force, claiming there had been a prior interaction during the match.

Reilly was in severe pain and was regularly seen by specialists at St James’s Hospital and the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin for a year.

The court also heard that he had lost his passion for playing Gaelic football.

Garda Ronan Curran agreed with prosecuting counsel John Hayden BL that there had been a “normal fight” during the match and that there had been interaction between Molloy and Mr Reilly.

In his sentencing speech, Judge Keenan Johnson described it as an upsetting incident that he classified as a high-profile offence, punishable by up to five years in prison.

He imposed a sentence of four years in prison but reduced it to two years and six months because of mitigating circumstances, which he suspended on condition that Molloy does not reoffend for four years. He also ordered him to pay €20,000 to Mr Reilly within 12 months.

“I want to make it clear that this is not about Mr Molloy buying his way out of trouble, but rather that he is suffering because he needs to earn €20,000 to help Mr Reilly recover. It is not appropriate to imprison the defendant given his lack of previous convictions and the fact that this offence was an aberration for him, and given that it took place in the middle of a high-profile GAA competition where the competitive element outweighed the sporting motivation.”

Judge Johnson said: “I think the competitive element of the GAA and its growth over the last few years has significantly reduced the degree of sporting spirit that should be present and should be the cornerstone of sporting involvement.”

The court heard gardaí received “conflicting reports” or “biased” accounts from 16 people connected with the two clubs. The referee did not see the strike and there were fewer officials on duty because it was a friendly match.

A witness from Maryland told gardaí that “Molloy ran from behind and punched Mr Reilly in the eye.”

Mr Reilly was in pain and immediately afterwards had double vision in his right eye. The court heard he had permanent damage to his right eye and vision impairment.

“I didn’t have the chance to defend myself and there are enough injuries in GAA without injuries to the ball off the ball. I found the tackle from another player disrespectful and that’s why I really lost interest in the sport,” he said.

Molloy gave a statement in which he claimed he had acted in self-defence and that he had been punched earlier.

Mr Hayden said there was no evidence of this and the witness testified that Molloy “blinded Mr Reilly by hitting him”.

Mr Reilly told the court in his victim impact statement that the accident left his eye socket collapsed and left him with permanent damage to the central vision in his right eye, which could not be corrected with glasses or laser surgery.

It was still difficult to see text with that eye, which affected his ability to work as a process manager in a precision medical device manufacturing facility.

Defender John Shortt SC said it happened in the context of Molloy’s club being relegated from the league as Maryland was promoted and “obviously there was tension there and there was room for minor arguments”.

“It was a recipe for disaster,” he said, “with minor incidents marring the game, which was called off with 10 minutes left.”

He asked the judge to point out that this was not typical of his client, who had provided the court with several references.

GAA disciplinary authorities handed Molloy a 24-week suspension.

He apologized to the court for the injury “which occurred in the heat of the game” and wished Mr Reilly a speedy recovery.