Shocking CCTV shows moment Irishman glasses cyclist before punching him to ground in Spanish bar
This is the dramatic moment an Irishman accused of attempted homicide glasses a cyclist who had just bumped into him in an accident which led to a violent row.Gerard Patrick Lenihan went on trial yesterday in Spain after being warned he faces being jailed for up to nine years if convicted.His alleged 26-year-old victim suffered serious injuries after being glassed in the neck and then punched in the face.Footage of the attack, reproduced in court yesterday, showed the Argentinian victim bumping into the Irishman from behind as he walked his bicycle past him on a pavement outside a packed pub.Read more‘How do I give myself up?’ On-the-run criminal calls Limerick Prison to hand himself inThe two men were seen getting into a heated exchange of words, despite the mediation attempts of a third individual Lenihan had been socialising with, before the aggressor lashed out with the glass he was carrying and then his right fist.The Christmas Day attack happened outside an Irish pub in the east coast city of Valencia.Police arrested the sole suspect inside the pub after being called to the scene.The CCTV footage showed bystanders, including a man thought to be a friend of the Argentinian who had been pushing another bike on the pavement in front of him, trying to punch the Irishman before a second man wearing a Santa hat intervened.Public prosecutors demanded a six-year prison sentence for the aggressor ahead of his trial if he is convicted as charged.Today's Crime Wrap (November 27) Private prosecutors acting for the glassing victim have called for him to be jailed for nine years.The accused man’s lawyer is claiming he acted instinctively out of self-defence and says a neurodevelopmental disorder he suffers from should be considered as a mitigating factor along with the fact he was under the influence of alcohol at the time.A pre-trial summary released by court officials of the case against the Irish national said: “Public prosecutors are seeking a six-year prison sentence for a crime of attempted homicide.“He is accused of trying to kill another man with a glass after bumping into him outside a pub in Valencia.“The incident occurred on December 25 2022 around 10pm when the accused man was having something to drink at the door of the establishment and bumped into the victim who was out walking in the area with a bike he was pushing.“Public prosecutors say an argument ensued in which the two men locked heads, during which the accused threatened to kill the other and broke a glass on his neck, making the other bleed profusely.“They say that after that the alleged aggressor punched the other man in the face and knocked him to the ground.”Local reports say the victim lost a tooth in the attack and was left with facial scars and post-traumatic stress.Gaelic football player Lenihan claimed he thought the Argentinian man had been trying to steal his wallet according to Valencian daily Las Provincias, something that was clear from the CCTV footage showing the aggressor patting his back pocket during the pair’s heated exchange before he lashed out.Read moreJailed cocaine baron dealt drugs with loyalist killer linked to killing of university studentThe victim, filmed trying to park his bike against a wall before going back to talk to the reveller who ended up glassing him, has insisted he went to apologise.Although public prosecutors initially accepted the aggressor’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a mitigating factor, they reportedly changed their minds during yesterday’s hearing.Judges reserved their verdict following the end of yesterday’s one-day trial at Valencia’s Audiencia Provincial court, as is normal in Spain.Lenihan, said to have been arrested in the UK after breaching a ban on leaving Spain following his arrest, will remain behind bars as a remand prisoner until he learns his fate.Las Provincias said the key to the trial and the judges’ decision would be whether they think the glassed man’s life was endangered and the aggressor’s intention was to kill him, or if a fairer reading of the situation is that it should be treated as an assault with wounding.The Irishman has already paid the glassing victim compensation and lodged more money with the court in anticipation of a possible conviction of some kind.
