Man ‘never looked back’ after leaving assault victim fighting for life

A man who walked away and left another man fighting for his life following an assault outside a Mullingar pub in January of last year has been remanded in custody while a judge considers his sentence.

Paul Earley (60), of Donearl House, Meedin, Tyrrellspass, County Westmeath, appeared before Judge Keenan Johnson at a sitting of Mullingar Circuit Court this afternoon, charged with a section 4 assault causing serious harm to another man last year.

The victim, Thomas Maher, remains disabled, disfigured and requires 24-hour care at the National Rehabilitation Hospital. Judge Johnson noted the injured party is “imprisoned in his own body”, which in itself is “a life sentence”.

Detective Garda Vincent Reynolds told the court that the injured party had been socialising in a Mullingar bar when the accused arrived in the early hours of January 7, 2024.

The injured party, on that night, spoke to a number of witnesses about an interaction with the accused in the pub toilets, which involved Mr Earley poking him in the ribs.

Mr Maher left the pub shortly before 1.30am, and was followed by Mr Earley. CCTV footage shows the accused pushing or headbutting the injured party, who fell and hit his head, which caused “catastrophic damage”.

Mr Maher was discovered lying on the street by passers-by who had heard him fall. When emergency services arrived on the scene, he was in the recovery position.

Paramedics observed a large volume of blood coming from the back of his head and ears. He was making “grunting noises”, his breathing was irregular and his pupils were unreactive.

He was taken by ambulance to Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar, where he was assessed as critical, intubated and taken for CT scans before being transferred to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.

When gardaí arrived at Mr Earley’s house at 3pm on January 7, 2024, the accused said he had no memory of the incident, replying “God, no” when asked if he thought he could have been involved in the assault.

When presented with the CCTV footage in one of his two garda interviews, he accepted his actions, apologised and expressed hope that the injured party would recover. He said he couldn’t recall going to that particular bar or carrying out the assault.

A report from Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar indicated that Mr Maher had multiple skull fractures, multiple areas of brain bleed, and cranial pressure.

He spent more than a month in intensive care at Beaumont Hospital, in an induced coma before being transferred back to Mullingar on February 21, 2024. He was left “severely disfigured”, as the side of his skull was removed.

Three reports were furnished to the court from the National Rehabilitation Hospital, where Mr Maher is now in full-time care. The most recent of those was made on February 25, and states that Mr Maher will require 24-hour care, with two carers present at all times for the rest of his life.

John Shortt SC, defending, told the court that there was “a significant amount of drink taken” on the night in question.

“Whatever exchange there was between the parties, Mr Earley went on the offence when he followed the injured party out and the incident took place,” he said.

“It was horrific. It was devastating. It was life changing. But it was brief.”

“It was brief, but permanent,” Det Gda Reynolds interjected.

Mr Earley maintained throughout the investigation that he had no recollection of the incident but said in his interview with gardaí that he is “ashamed” he did that.

“I was drunk. I have no recollection of it. I went straight across the road. I never looked back,” he told gardaí.

Victim impact statements read out in court by members of Mr Maher’s family highlighted the “devastating” effect that Mr Earley’s actions have had on the injured party, his wife, his five children and his grandchildren.

They told of a man who loved his life and was a provider for his family, always ensuring they wanted for nothing.

“Now he’s a shell of his old self,” said his daughter, Lisa Maher. “He’s disfigured with half his skull removed. His fingers and toes are twisted inwards, as are his hands and feet.”

She said the only thing he can do for himself now is breathe and that nothing can prepare you for the “trauma” of seeing your father in the hospital bed, “blood gushing out of his ears, having seizure after seizure”, and that is “an image that will torment me for the rest of my life”.

“My father will spend the rest of his life in care and we will spend the rest of ours in limbo,” she said, adding that the family is in a state of “perpetual grief” for a father who is still alive but does not recognise them.

Tina Maher, the wife of the injured party, told the court that her husband had gone out for a drink and “to this day, he never came home”.

She, too, spoke of how she mourns for “the man I love so much”, and said she lives for the days she can visit him, “hold his hand and tell him I love him”, but “he’ll never tell me he loves me again”.

“My husband will spend the rest of his life trapped in his own prison,” she said.

His daughter, Deanna Maher, told of how she was abroad when she got the news of her father’s injuries and rushed home on the next flight.

“I cried and told him I was home. I begged him not to leave us,” she said before addressing Mr Earley directly: “you destroyed our lives by making a decision you should’ve chosen not to, and we suffer the consequences of your actions”.

Her brother, Dylan, said he is “sincerely grateful” that his father is alive but told the accused “the man in the bed is not my father; you took my father away from me”.

“Nobody deserves to have their life taken from them like you took my dad’s,” he said.

Another son, Dean Maher, said “the fact someone could do this to another human and carry on with their own life is what hurts the most”.

“Our lives will never be the same again, but the person who did this can get up in the morning and ring his kids. He can make memories with his family,” he said.

“What makes him think he deserves to have all that when our father never will?”

Thomas, another son of the injured party, recalled how, on that night, he had heard a knock on the front door and his mother’s scream. She came up to his room and said “something has happened to your father”.

It was Thomas who contacted his siblings to share the devastating news. He told the court he no longer practices martial arts – something his father always supported. He said he suffers from depression and fears for his own and his family’s safety when they are out in public.

Mr Earley, taking to the witness box, read a letter of apology to the Maher family, stating that he feels “deep regret” for the pain he caused them and that he is “profoundly sorry”.

He pledged an “unwavering commitment to make amends” in any way he can and said his first thoughts every morning are with the Maher family.

“I wish I could cure your pain and make things right for you and your loved ones. I always pray for your family who have endured so much. It has profoundly changed me and I will spend the rest of my life atoning for my actions,” he said.

“My remorse is genuine and I will carry this regret to my dying day.”

In mitigation, Mr Shortt told the court that his client is 60 years old, a father of three children and husband to a “loving, supportive wife”. He has a long work history and is self-employed as a carpenter. He also has significant health difficulties and underwent heart surgery a number of years ago.

He said Mr Earley’s actions have been “very distressing” for his 92-year-old adoptive mother, with whom he has a close bond.

Mr Shortt stressed that his client “accepts he needs to be punished”, and said he has also come up with the sum of €30,000 for the Maher family as a token of compensation.

Judge Johnson thanked the Maher family for attending court and said he found their evidence “hugely moving”, noting the “cascade of adversity” that the assault has caused in their lives. He expressed his regrets that there is “nothing the court can do” to ease their suffering and said he is “really, really sorry” for that.

He adjourned the case to April 8, 2025, to allow him some time to consider the sentence. Mr Earley has been remanded in custody until that date.