Derry man jumped on mans head repeatedly

A Derry man who repeatedly attacked a man lying on the ground was today old his behaviour was ‘simply inhuman.’
26-year-old Ryan Flanagan of Strand Road, Derry admitted assaulting the man occasioning him actual bodly harm on May 23 2008.
The court heard about the incident in John Street in the city and how the injured party who was intoxicated at the time was attacked ‘without provocation’ by Flanagan.
It was said that Flanagan jumped with both feet onto the victim’s head, hit him with a bottle causing a 4 inch gash in his head, broke his nose and left both eyes blackened and swollen.
Flanagan returned repeatedly to attack his victim who was lying on the ground ‘defenceless.’
A defence barrister said that Flanagan had been drinking and doing drugs at the time and had ‘gone off the rails.’
He said that since then the defendant had not come to police attention and was trying to put his life together, he pleaded for Flanagan to be given one final chance.
District Judge Mr. Barney McElholm said there could be ‘no excuse’ for such behaviour and added that Flanagan deserved no credit as he had only pleaded guilty on the final opportunity.
The judge added that Flanagan deserved to go to prison but said that he had ‘taken some steps to rejoin the human race’ and imposed a sentence of ten months