Suspended jail term for Magee attacker

bugs · Post by **bugs** » 22 Feb 2006, 11:42

http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=70736&pt=n

The man who beat world champion welterweight boxer Eamonn Magee with batons, threatening his career, walked free from court today after his three year jail term was suspended.

Craigavon Crown Court Judge Patrick Markey QC told 54-year-old Joseph Clarke he was suspending the jail term for three years as he had not been the "initial aggressor," his guilty pleas and his clear record.

Clarke, from Lagmore Dale in Belfast, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, possessing a weapon, a 3ft wooden baton and causing criminal damage to a car.

Magee`s career was feared over after the attack in 2004.

nickd · Post by **nickd** » 22 Feb 2006, 11:45

How on earth do you get a suspended sentence for that?

Rocky Balboa · Post by **Rocky Balboa** » 22 Feb 2006, 11:46

This is SCANDLEOUS! If the roles were reversed, Magee would have got a sentence, no doubt about it.

No wonder this country is falling-to-bits!

J · Post by J » 22 Feb 2006, 11:46

youd be surprised how many gbh/assualt related incidents dont result in jail terms.

BigEars · Post by **BigEars** » 22 Feb 2006, 11:53

Something tells me this guy might have been safer in jail .

john2345 · Post by **john2345** » 22 Feb 2006, 12:59

Didn't the initial reports of the incident suggest he was connected to a well known paramilitary outfit....?

It's only a matter of time till you get away with a fine for murder

J

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 22 Feb 2006, 13:17

As I remember reports around the time of the incident Magee was said to be hauled from a car by masked, bat weilding assailants and was viciously beaten on the road.

If that is only deserving of a suspended sentence there is something wrong with the justice system. I wonder if he and Magee are still neighbours???

john2345 · Post by **john2345** » 22 Feb 2006, 14:11

TerribleTerry wrote:As I remember reports around the time of the incident Magee was said to be hauled from a car by masked, bat weilding assailants and was viciously beaten on the road.

If that is only deserving of a suspended sentence there is something wrong with the justice system. I wonder if he and Magee are still neighbours???

I think Magee moved out after he left hospital. I haven't seen much in the papers about it lately and didn't realise the trial had taken place. As I recall, Magee's kids were accused of (continually) knocking over next-door's snowman, the father came to remonstrate with Magee who told him to get lost or words to that effect. When he went out he was dragged from the car and beaten. Was that how it came out at the trial?

By the way, "Something wrong with the justice sytstem" is maybe the understatement of the year! I thought it had been reversed so that the criminal was now the victim...did I miss something?

J

steve689 · Post by **steve689** » 22 Feb 2006, 14:22

Yeah i remember the whole incident was over a snowman

john2345 · Post by **john2345** » 22 Feb 2006, 14:32

Did a quick web search on this.... looks like it was Clarke who moved out.

Seems that after the exchange of words over the snowman things went quiet for a short while, then a fight started, and Magee was alleged to have butted Clarke and broken a tooth. Rest as per "pulled from car etc"

It seems that Clarke initially claimed he was elsewhere at the time of the attack, and had 6 witness statements to that effect. So much for the judge's logic in taking a Guilty Plea into account!

I don't think it's any secret that Magee has had a colorful past (have a look at
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/stor ... 34,00.html

but reading all this plus the trial reports makes you wonder what sort of society we're living in these days.

J

liamlion · Post by **liamlion** » 22 Feb 2006, 15:14

john2345 wrote: but reading all this plus the trial reports makes you wonder what sort of society we're living in these days.

Its Northern Ireland mate. A lot worse has been happening for many, many years - such behaviour is nothing new.

john2345 · Post by **john2345** » 22 Feb 2006, 16:43

liamlion wrote:
john2345 wrote: but reading all this plus the trial reports makes you wonder what sort of society we're living in these days.
Its Northern Ireland mate. A lot worse has been happening for many, many years - such behaviour is nothing new.

Yeah, I know...I'm from Ireland (mate)

J

nickd · Post by **nickd** » 22 Feb 2006, 16:47

Who cares where it happened, beating someone like that deserves jail time anywhere.

steve689 · Post by **steve689** » 22 Feb 2006, 18:07

liamlion wrote:
john2345 wrote: but reading all this plus the trial reports makes you wonder what sort of society we're living in these days.
Its Northern Ireland mate. A lot worse has been happening for many, many years - such behaviour is nothing new.

Its not a third world country though is it, this shit should be punished. Just out of interest, whereabouts is Magee from? I heard Belfast but the article said it was at Craigavon court.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 22 Feb 2006, 18:20

Nothing surprises me anymore, after all we have a guy who ran over and killed a 3 year old girl while driving a stolen car without a lisence or insurence and he gets a 3 month sentence!!!... you'll liable to get more time for not paying your TV liscense...

The Hawk · Post by **The Hawk** » 22 Feb 2006, 19:23

steve689 wrote:
liamlion wrote:
john2345 wrote: but reading all this plus the trial reports makes you wonder what sort of society we're living in these days.
Its Northern Ireland mate. A lot worse has been happening for many, many years - such behaviour is nothing new.
Its not a third world country though is it, this shit should be punished. Just out of interest, whereabouts is Magee from? I heard Belfast but the article said it was at Craigavon court.

Magee is from a hard area of Belfast, Ardoyne, and that happened in the Poleglass Estate where he lives I think. You'd not want to go in there even in day light

Craigavon is just were the hearing was.

I remember this article on Magee after his attack. Magee is no saint himself, I have heard plenty of storys about him through the grapevine in Belfast, but what happened to him was out of order. I'm surprised that guy got off with a suspended sentence. Worst is, what happend Magee is how they do things on those areas in Belfast, its a tough surroundings.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/stor ... 34,00.html

Seamus · Post by **Seamus** » 23 Feb 2006, 01:20

For his punishment the guy should have been forced to complete 3 full rounds in the ring with Eamonn.

nickd · Post by **nickd** » 23 Feb 2006, 06:40

Or smoke with him fag for fag for 24 hours.

liamlion · Post by **liamlion** » 23 Feb 2006, 06:56

john2345 wrote:
liamlion wrote:
john2345 wrote: but reading all this plus the trial reports makes you wonder what sort of society we're living in these days.
Its Northern Ireland mate. A lot worse has been happening for many, many years - such behaviour is nothing new.
Yeah, I know...I'm from Ireland (mate)

J

Im not condoning this sort of behaviour - jail time would certainly appear justified on the face of it. Im only saying that some dark shit has happened in Northern Ireland for many years...I just dont agree with you that such attacks are somewhat new or exclusive to "these days" - the same sort of stuff has happened for years.

Loftgroov · Post by **Loftgroov** » 23 Feb 2006, 07:00

Seamus wrote:For his punishment the guy should have been forced to complete 3 full rounds in the ring with Eamonn.

Sounds like he might have won though.

Lenny · Post by **Lenny** » 23 Feb 2006, 07:01

more "these days" that someone can do this and not do time

Achybreaky · Post by **Achybreaky** » 23 Feb 2006, 07:40

liamlion wrote:
john2345 wrote: but reading all this plus the trial reports makes you wonder what sort of society we're living in these days.
Its Northern Ireland mate. A lot worse has been happening for many, many years - such behaviour is nothing new.

Wow did you think before you posted this? This shit happens in every town in britain even bournemouth.

liamlion · Post by **liamlion** » 23 Feb 2006, 07:45

achybreaky wrote:
liamlion wrote:
john2345 wrote: but reading all this plus the trial reports makes you wonder what sort of society we're living in these days.
Its Northern Ireland mate. A lot worse has been happening for many, many years - such behaviour is nothing new.
Wow did you think before you posted this? This shit happens in every town in britain even bournemouth.

Hey brains I wasnt aware that punishment-style beatings linked to paramilitary organisations were a common event in towns across Britain, let alone in Bournemouth. But hey you learn something everyday...

Magee wasnt just battered, his legs were smashed with baseball bats and pieces of wood (aka cudgels) with nails driven through them.