Northern Ireland

Belfast trio jailed for attack which left victim with multiple stab wounds

Two brothers and a third man have been jailed for a 'three on one' attack which left their victim with multiple stab wounds
Two brothers and a third man have been jailed for a 'three on one' attack which left their victim with multiple stab wounds Two brothers and a third man have been jailed for a 'three on one' attack which left their victim with multiple stab wounds

TWO brothers and a third man have been jailed for a 'three on one' attack which left their victim with multiple stab wounds.

Daniel Kelly (33) from Elgin Street, his 26-year old brother Brian Kelly from Connsbrook Avenue and 22-year old Kyle Donaghy from Beit Street - all in Belfast - each admitted a charge of wounding at Belfast Crown Court.

The injured party suffered around ten stab wounds - one which punctured his lung - in the attack on Laganbank Road on August 22, 2018.

He failed to attend follow-up hospital appointments and refused to co-operate with police.

Judge David McFarland accepted the events leading to the stabbing were chaotic, and it seemed likely that the injured party was the aggressor who ended up being stabbed with his own knife.

Prosecutor Philip Henry told the court the stabbing followed an altercation between the trio and a crowd attending a party at the St John's Close apartment block in east Belfast where one of them lived.

Mr Henry said there was "some uncertainty about precisely what happened", but CCTV and independent witnesses suggest the three left the building, followed by the injured party who was brandishing a pole in an aggressive manner.

A short time later he was attacked and stabbed in the middle of the road and CCTV shows the trio throwing a knife into the Lagan.

When the injured party was tended at the scene a knife fell out of his pocket.

The brothers gave largely 'no comment' interviews to police but Donaghy told police they were followed by the injured party who had a stick and knife.

He admitted kicking him while he was on the ground, but said he knew nothing about a stabbing.

It could not be proven who used the knife during the "three on one" attack.

Barrister Martin Morgan, defending Brian Kelly, said he had undergone a detox programme during a "considerable and significant" period on remand.

He told the court Kelly's drink and drugs misuse worsened after he and his brother were attacked at a band parade, saying "the knife brought to the scene was not brought by the accused" and there was "significant provocation".

Barrister John O'Connor, representing Daniel Kelly, said the band parade attack left his client in a coma and led to panic attacks and drug abuse, but he is now drug-free and has adhered to strict bail conditions.

He had a "limited recollection" and expressed remorse for his involvement.

Donaghy's barrister Richard McConkey raised his client's "complex and complicated" mental health background, revealing he had been abducted, tied to a chair and tortured in a case of mistaken identity aged 19.

He said Donaghy has been pro-active in seeking assistance and treatment for his mental health.

Judge McFarland accepted there are "uncertainties" about what actually happened, accepting it followed a "degree of provocation" after all three "had been binge-drinking and drug-taking all day."

They were each sentenced to 13 months in prison and 13 months on licence.