A man has been left with "life-altering" injuries following an alleged slash attack on a night out in Dublin.
The alleged attack left the man was a broken nose and a four inch wound, leaving him with a permanent facial scar, a court heard.
32 year old Darren Delaney has been accused of robbing and attacking the man who was drunk and described as "highly vulnerable", on a night out where he became separated from friends in the city centre.
It was reported in the Irish Independent that the alleged victim was sitting on steps to a building along Harcourt Street, while intoxicated and separated from friends. He was reportedly approached by Mr Delaney and a woman, where they engaged with him for several minutes, before going through his pockets.
The prosecution claimed that the pair were seen on CCTV leaving the property, including the mobile phone.
A physical struggle followed after the man tried to retrieve his property, before Mr Delaney reached into his pocket and spoke to the man, "causing him to back away".
When the man approached Delaney a second time, another physical struggle ensued. The woman dropped an item, before handing it to Mr Delaney.
Gardaí later claimed that the accused was seen in a "locked elbow", before striking the man with a bladed item across his left cheek in "a forceful, slashing motion", according to the Irish Independent.
At Dublin District Court, Mr Delaney was denied bail, with Judge Tom McSharry remanding the accused in custody for DPP directions. He has no fixed address, and was charged with robbery and assault causing harm to a man. They said he would be an "extreme flight risk" if he was bailed, due to the fact that he had recently been in Sweden and was sleeping rough, while telling Gardaí that he regretted returning to Ireland.
Speaking in court, Garda Seamus Egan said that these alleged offences took place at 4.15am last week (August 20).
He said that after his arrest and charge, Mr Delaney replied to one count: “The incident shouldn’t have happened and I’m sorry", before replying to the second count: “The incident should have been stopped a lot earlier, through my own fault. I’m truly sorry".
It was reported that following the incident, Delaney and the woman fled, leaving the man with his injuries, including a broken nose, and a slash wound to the face which required 15 stitches, requiring plastic surgery.
Speaking to Gardaí afterwards, Mr Delaney said he had been assaulted by a man with a glass bottle. However, no broken glass was found at the scene, and Mr Delaney did not require any medical attention.
He also had claimed that he was handed a lighter, and was merely throwing the man a punch.
But CCTV contradicted Mr Delaney's version of events, according to Garda Egan, who said it showed a “slashing motion” towards the man’s face.
It was confirmed that a file would be submitted to the DDP, recommending for the case to proceed on indictment and a more serious charge.
While not legally represented amid the ongoing strike from criminal defence solicitors over payment changes under the free legal aid scheme, made his own bail application, and insisted that he would adhere to the "most extreme" bail conditions if necessary.
He added that he could surrender his passport, sign on at a Garda Station, and adhere to a night time curfew.
But bail was refused, and Mr Delaney was remanded in custody, appearing in Cloverhill District Court on Friday.
