Mapfumo Chidzambwa, 30, was attacked by Luke Casey, 25, while his co-accused, Stephen Mooney, 24, struck his head a number of times with a golf club, breaking the unarmed victim’s facial bones and sinking  his right eye into its socket.

Witnesses to the assault later told police that Mooney could be heard shouting “Do you want to see me crack a n****r’s skull?”

Mooney, of Greenfort Lawns, Clondalkin was jailed for four years last July. He is also serving a four-and-a-half year sentence for attempting to rape a girl at a house party while he was on bail for the assault.

Casey of Greenfort Gardens, Clondalkin, was jailed for three years and nine months by Judge Patricia Ryan after she twice emphasised that the maximum penalty available to the court was five years.

She said she had to reduce this sentence on the basis of Casey’s guilty plea and also took into account the State’s evidence that it was Mooney who had inflicted the serious injuries and who had instigated the attack.

Both men pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting Chidzambwa causing him harm and criminal damage of two cars at Greenfort Lawns in the early hours of October 1, 2006.

Detective Garda Paul Kelly told Tony McGillicuddy BL, prosecuting, that Mooney and Casey had been at the same house party as Chidzambwa in Clondalkin along with a number of Zimbabwean nationals.

Mooney was asked to leave after he made unwelcome advances to a number of the women at the gathering. 

He took exception to this and both he and Casey damaged a number of vehicles that were parked outside the house.

The party-goers went out to investigate but Chidzambwa was heading for home with his uncle when he was set upon.

Chidzambwa had moved to Ireland from Zimbabwe in 2001 to study electronic engineering in UCD. 

He was studying for a PhD in wireless communication when he was attacked.

His victim impact report stated that he had to live with the horror of the assault on a daily basis and is reminded of it every time he sees his facial scars whenever he passes a reflective surface.

He described the attack as happening in “a racially-charged environment”.

He had to take a year out from his doctorate studies and when he returned there was no longer funding available and he was forced to scale down to a Masters Degree.

He said he has since had to “scavenge” for jobs that are meant for people with disabilities and he feels 
intimidated seeking jobs like cleaning and waiting tables to help his finances because he believes employers may be prejudiced.

“All the dreams I had have vanished and all the aspirations I had were snatched away by a golf club,” Chidzambwa said.

Det Garda Kelly said Casey has one previous conviction for a road traffic offence.

He agreed with McGillicuddy that it was the State’s case that Mooney inflicted the major injuries and instigated the assault but Casey had participated in the assault.

Det Garda Kelly agreed with Martin Giblin SC, defending, that his client was described by others at the party as being quiet and not causing any trouble.

He accepted that he has since seemed to settle down, is in a stable relationship and has a young child.
He further accepted that while Mooney was known to local gardai at the time, he never had any previous dealings with Casey.

Giblin said Chidzambwa had suffered “appalling injuries” but asked Judge Ryan to accept that his client’s actions on the night had been “uncharacteristic”.

He said Casey had about 6 000US in court to offer as a token of his remorse but acknowledged that this was “pitiful”.

He said, however, that Casey had gone to a great deal of trouble to put that money together.

Judge Ryan said Casey had participated in “the event that caused the injuries” to “an unarmed individual”.

She said Chidzambwa had been left with a major cosmetic defect which caused him concern, distress and suffering and which had also impaired his studies and ability to find work even though he is highly qualified.

Chidzambwa told the court at Mooney’s sentence hearing that he had struggled financially from when he started college but the scholarship had given him a “glimmer of hope” and he had believed his financial future would be bright.

Since the attack he gets headaches, his injuries have inhibited his working ability and his concentration has suffered.

Chidzambwa said the loans he has accumulated to a total of about 32 000US are like a noose around his neck.

“If I hadn’t suffered the vicious attack, my prospects would be different,” he said.

He said he had to stop participating in all physical sports, he can only sleep on one side and though doctors managed to seal leaking spinal fluid after the attack, he now can’t do any strenuous activity.

He said doctors have advised him against taking flights because of potential aneurysms and the heat in Africa causes headaches, which means he cannot enjoy a trip home. — RTE NEWS

By Special correspondent