'Everyone knows me as the guy who was attacked': Victim in Kyle Hayes case speaks out
Cillian McCarthy said the events that night changed his life, leaving him physically injured and suffering a loss of confidence and shame. Picture: Brendan Gleeson
A man who suffered a fractured eye socket during a violent incident involving All-Ireland winning Limerick hurler Kyle Hayes said the events that night changed his life, leaving him physically injured and suffering a loss of confidence and shame.
Cillian McCarthy, 24, a self-employed carpenter, said that he was an ambitious young man with a bright future ahead of him before the events of that night.
CCTV footage from the Icon nightclub in Limerick showed Hayes and others allegedly throwing punches at Mr McCarthy on a packed dancefloor. Evidence was also heard that gardaà saw Mr McCarthy lying on the ground in a foetal position as he was kicked with force by a group of males on Upper Denmark Street near the nightclub later that night, on October 28, 2019.
Reading a victim impact statement to Limerick Circuit Court, Mr McCarthy described himself as an easy-going, hard-working individual who enjoyed life, enjoyed socialising with friends and playing sport, including hurling and five-aside soccer.
âAs a young man I was very ambitious. I could see a good life ahead,â he said, but that night everything changed. A âtotally unprovokedâ threat sparked the chain of events that night which culminated in him being left injured and terrified, curled up on the street defenceless as he was kicked by a group of males.
He had been out socialising that night in Smithâs Bar in Limerick city, chatting to friends â two female and one male â when he was allegedly approached and threatened by Hayes.
The court heard Hayes had been "acting as policeman" that night, allegedly ordering Mr McCarthy not to talk to a young woman who was a girlfriend of Hayes' friend.
Mr McCarthy "brushed the unprovoked threat off as a joke". But when he went upstairs to the Icon nightclub he was threatened again and punched in the head. Stunned and bewildered by the violence, he said he had never experienced such an incident in his life.
He said he felt terrified, injured, and alone. His head was pounding and he did not know the extent of his injury.
Bouncers ejected his assailants and then he also left the club, he said. âI was alone and afraid, they were shouting in an aggressive manner.â
He was attacked for the second time, this time by a larger group. âI was punched, kicked, knocked to the ground. As I lay on the ground I was kicked.â
As he lay there helpless with kicks raining down on him, gardaà approached and broke up the attack.
A subsequent CT scan found that his upper eye was fractured and required surgery. An appointment was made with a maxilla facial surgeon and he underwent surgery, he said.
He suffered loneliness and a loss of income in the subsequent weeks and months as he was unable to work. He missed a lot of his apprenticeship training at the time, impacting that training, he said.
In the months following the incident, he suffered extreme headaches and problems with his eye and vision following the incident. âI no longer drive late at night due to double vision when I see headlights,â he said.
The events have also had a âprofound impactâ on his family. âI felt very frustrated and took my anger out on my family. They also experienced considerable distress.â
His family now âconstantly worryâ whenever he leaves the house, he said.
He added:
"Before, I was a very sociable person, always on the go,â he said, between going to work, meeting friends and playing sports. But due to his injuries, he has not been able to return to sports which has impacted his physical health and his social life, he said.
A loss of confidence and shame following the incident has had the biggest impact on his life. He felt that âeveryone knows me now as the guy who was attacked.â Images of his injuries were shared on social media and he received nasty, abusive messages online following the attack.
He has had to take significant time off work and his sight has been affected â a problem as his work as a carpenter requires âprecise visionâ.
He said that he looks forward to the possibility of returning to a life where he felt he had a bright future to look forward to.
Hayes, sitting just two metres away from him in court, did not look at Mr McCarthy when he took the stand on Friday.
Hayes, 25, of Ballyashea, Kildimo, Co Limerick, had pleaded not guilty to two violent disorder charges and one charge of assault causing harm to Mr McCarthy. He was convicted by a jury at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court last December of violent disorder. But Hayes was found not guilty of assault.
