Judge Laura Ievers KC said: “This was appalling violence on the street in broad daylight and in full view of members of the public.”
Three men from Limavady were sentenced on Friday for “appalling violence” which included a machete attack.
The trio were sentenced at Belfast Crown Court for the roles they played in the affray which occurred on Donald’s Way in Limavady last March.
Curtis Lee Ireland, 23, from Coolessan Walk admitted three charges – namely affray, wounding and possessing a machete in a public place.
Attending the hearing via a videolink with HMP Magilligan, Ireland was handed a three-year sentence which was divided equally between prison and licence.
Brendon Roc McManus, 27, from Greystone Park had an 18-month sentence imposed which was suspended for two years whilst 35-year old Cathal Brendan Moore from Caman Park was handed a 12-month sentence which was also suspended for two years.
The court heard that around 3.30pm on March 4 last year, police received a report of three men fighting in the Donald’s Way area of Limavady.
When officers arrived they spoke to Moore, who had a large cut to his left elbow.
He was taken to hospital where it was confirmed he had sustained a fracture to his elbow as well as a deep laceration.
Police enquiries revealed that part of the incident had been captured in a ring doorbell which was viewed by officers.
This footage picked up Moore and McManus fighting each other in a garden and Ireland standing close by with a machete which he pointed at Moore.
During the melee Ireland stuck Moore with the machete and McManus also pushed Moore to the ground and continued to assault him.
Whilst Moore was pinned to the ground by McManus, Ireland then stamped on his head and at this point a member of the public intervened.
McManus then left the area, pursued by Moore and there was further fighting.
When he was arrested, over the course of two interviews Ireland gave a ‘no comment’ response to all questions asked.
During McManus’s interview, he initially also refused to comment but he subsequently identified himself on the footage and said he was acting in self-defence.
Moore was also interviewed twice and after largely answering ‘no comment’ to police, he accepted his wrongdoing after watching the footage.
Judge Laura Ievers KC said: “This was appalling violence on the street in broad daylight and in full view of members of the public.”
The Judge cited the levels of intoxication and the criminal records of all three men as aggravating factors.
Regarding Moore, Judge Ievers noted that he told Probation he had been partying in the days before the incident and had a poor memory of what happened.
He is now seeking help for his addictions in England and after years of drug abuse, he now reports he is abstinent and determined to stay off drugs.
McManus also has addiction issues and told Probation the initial argument on the day in question was drug-related.
He offered an apology to Moore and has been inspired by his co-accused’s efforts to get his life back on track.
Ireland’s offending last March occurred when he was on licence for a previous offence of wounding and he was recalled to prison.
He has a history of substance misuse and is engaging positively whilst in custody to address issues in his life.
Ireland accepted using the machete and told a Probation Officer he swung it indiscriminately.
As she sentenced all three, Judge Ievers said she was making a distinction between them for the different roles they played in the incident and the efforts Moore has made to seek support in combatting his addictions.
Addressing Ireland, she told him his actions resulted in “serious injury” and added: “In light of what you did, it’s fortunate that Mr Moore’s injuries were not even worse.”
Before they left the dock, Moore and McManus were warned of the consequences of re-offending over the next two years.
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