A man who punched a stag party-goer in a Dublin nightclub 15 years ago, leaving him with a fractured skull, has been given a suspended 18-month sentence.
Sebastian Betlejewski (37) was extradited from his native Poland earlier this year in relation to the assault, which occurred in the then-named Zanzibar nightclub at Batchelor’s Walk, Dublin, on April 27th, 2008.
Gardaí arrived shortly after the assault, which was captured on CCTV, but it was initially unclear what had occurred, and Betlejewski was allowed to leave. He was interviewed by gardaí at a later date but left the country while a file was being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions and before he had been charged.
He was arrested in February this year after an initial Interpol error had him as being in the UK, Detective Garda Niall McCormack told Lisa Dempsey BL, prosecuting.
Betlejewski, with an address at Fernwood Lawn, Springfield, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He has no previous convictions in either jurisdiction.
The court heard the victim, who is from Northern Ireland, had come to Dublin that weekend for a stag party and was on the dancefloor of the nightclub at around 3am when Betlejewski approached him and punched him. The victim fell straight to the floor, hitting his head on the ground.
The victim initially refused an ambulance and returned to Northern Ireland, where he was then hospitalised for a period of time. The court heard he suffered a fractured skull and a fractured cheekbone, among other injuries.
A victim impact statement was handed into court but not read aloud; with the court hearing, the victim has moved on with his life since the incident occurred. Betlejewski told gardaí another man in the nightclub had assaulted him and that he punched the victim in a case of mistaken identity.
Sentencing Betlejewski on Friday, Judge Elma Sheahan said he is now a productive member of society who has not come to any garda attention either prior to the incident or in the 15 years since. She noted he has been separated from his family since he was extradited this year, and his business has suffered.
She handed down a sentence of 18 months, which she suspended on a number of conditions.
Joe Mulrean BL, defending, told the court that Betlejewski came to Ireland in 2006 in search of a better life. He returned to Poland some months after the assault to undergo knee surgery and to care for his mother, who was ill.
The court heard he was entitled to leave Ireland at that time as he was not facing any charges. He was “shocked” to hear of the extent of the victim’s injuries, defence counsel said.
He set up a real estate business in his home country, which has now had to close since he was extradited to Ireland. He is now married with a child.
Betlejewski spent six weeks in custody in Poland and a week in custody in Ireland before being released on bail. There have been no issues with his bail conditions, the court heard.
He is “extremely remorseful” for his actions and had €5000 in court for his victim. Mr Mulrean urged the judge not to impose a custodial sentence on his client.