Eight months suspended jail sentence for boxer who seriously assaulted man

By Brendan Grehan

A CRUMLIN BOXER, who seriously assaulted a man in the man’s own back garden, got an eight-month suspended sentence in Tallaght Court.

Evan Metcalfe knocked John McHugh unconscious in the assault in January 2014.

Metcalfe, aged 22, with an address at Captain’s Road, Crumlin, had been found guilty after a trial of assaulting John McHugh causing him harm at an address at Limekiln Lane, Perrystown, on January 17, 2014.

He was before the court for sentencing and for the court to hear from the victim.

Reading a probation report, Judge Reilly told the court that Metcalfe had been part of a group that was making noise and causing trouble.

She added: “They were a drunken mob, violent drunk youths and women.”

Judge Reilly asked to hear from Mr McHugh.

Mr McHugh said: “I want the matter over with. I just want to put it behind me. It happened in my own garden. I was knocked unconscious.”

Metcalfe’s counsel said his client is a boxer and trains seven days a week. He said Metcalfe had boxed at a very high level. 

Judge Reilly wondered why there no testimonials from the boxing association, the Olympic Council of Ireland or Crumlin Boxing Club.

She told Metcalfe: “If you really were subject to the discipline of boxing, you would not have behaved in the way you did”.

The counsel said his client does security work for concerts and had hopes to get work at the RDS for the Horse Show.

Judge Reilly sentenced Metcalfe to eight months jail suspended for two years on a bond of €400 on condition that he remains drug-free and attends for urinalysis.

She told the counsel: “He is lucky that he is not going into custody”.