https://stepagency-sy.net/%d8%a3%d8%ae%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7/ A 28-YEAR-OLD man who blinded a Syrian refugee

1. A 28-YEAR-OLD man who blinded a Syrian refugee in his right eye after
glassing him for no reason, later making a "ham-fisted attempt" to intimidate
or bribe him, has been jailed for two years.
Best Syria News
Judge Neil Rafferty QC told Deaglan Gerard Bassett, while he accepted his
attack was not racially motivated, it had underlying tones of substance and
alcohol abuse, "causing him to spiral off the right path".
However, the Belfast Crown Court judge added that a deterrent sentence was
called for given it was an unprovoked attack in which a weapon was used to
cause high harm injury.
A second 28-year-old man, James Patrick Joseph Kieron O'Boyle, who
admitted involvement in the intimidation of the victim, was jailed with him.
However, O'Boyle's main sentence was for an unrelated aggravated burglary
for which he was given a 18 months behind bars.
But his sentence will not come into effect until at least July next, as he is
currently serving the remainder of a previous sentence which he had
previously breached.
Prosecution counsel Kate McKay told the court that on August 4, 2018 the
injured party had given a lift to Bassett and two women. Conversation between
them had initially been friendly, and when he eventually let them off on the
Ormeau Road in the early hours of the morning, they had thanked him.
Ms McKay said a short time later Bassett called on the injured party to 'wait'
and went to him, putting his arm around his shoulder. However, instead of
telling him anything, smashed a glass in his face, as a result of which he lost
his sight in his right eye.

2. The lawyer added that in July the following year, on two different occasions,
the injured party was approached by O'Boyle who offered him between two
and five thousand pounds to drop the case against Bassett, with the veiled
threat to make problems for him, if he did not. On both occasions O'Boyle was
pictured in Bassett's company, once getting into his car, and then going to his
home.
The court then heard that a week after the intimidation, O'Boyle, who has 82
previous convictions, was arrested and questioned about an aggravated
burglary the previous month.
A lawyer for Bassett described what occurred as a "split second decision" for
which he had shown remorse for what he had done.
A lawyer for O'Boyle said reports on his client made for "sad reading" and
given his drug abuse and growing criminal record, had spent considerable
time in custody.