Man had gone gone to airport to pick up his son but was left with broken ribs, broken nose and broken hand after being assaulted
A man who had gone to Belfast International airport to pick up his son suffered severe injuries including six broken ribs after being assaulted.
Details were given to a court on Tuesday where Jamie Foley was sentenced on a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm upon his dad on August 31 last year.
Jamie Foley (26), of The Crescent in Clady near Strabane, was in the dock at Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena.
As well as broken ribs his dad had a broken nose, broken collar bone, broken right hand, had a black eye and his lungs were also impacted.
The injured man had picked up his son and his son's then girlfriend to bring them home. It was said Foley had drink taken and was "narky and aggressive".
The defendant's behaviour was "impacting" on his dad's driving who pulled into the side of the road before they got to Antrim town. Foley then said to his dad: "Do you want to go then?"
The defendant got out of the car and outside the back of the car punches were exchanged. Foley's dad's nose was punched, causing it to break.
The defendant ended up on the ground and charged towards his dad's stomach with his head. His dad grabbed him in a headlock to avoid further being further assaulted "and it is at this point that Jamie Foley grabbed his ankles" and threw the defendant "over his shoulders where he has then landed shoulder first to the ground," a prosecutor said.
When his dad was on the ground the defendant further punched him, the court was told. His father "blacked out for several seconds".
The defendant's dad was then "hoisted" into the back seat and driven towards Derry/Londonderry where he attended hospital. A defence barrister said the defendant had a difficult relationship with his father but is "ashamed" of what happened.
The lawyer sad there had been an "item in the boot" of the car and the defendant had been "scared for his life" but during the incident he had not intended "to hurt his father to the extent he did" but the level of injuries came from the way he had fallen.
Foley's dad had been "screaming in pain" and the defendant had "helped" him into the back of the car and asked if he needed medical treatment, the lawyer said.
The woman had then driven the car to the north west, the court was told. The barrister said there had been "some degree" of self-defence but it "went too far".
District Judge Nigel Broderick told the defendant: "This was a particularly nasty assault on your father. It may have started out in terms of one fighting with the other but I am satisfied that what you did to your father went beyond any possible argument about self-defence."
The judge said the injuries the defendant's dad suffered were "quite serious". The court was told that last summer the defendant had been given a suspended sentence at a court for a "nasty" assault on police officers.
The judge told Foley: "Approximately a month later then you are beating up your father to a serious degree. You are clearly a violent man and alcohol appears to have been a feature of this offence and other offences on your record."
The judge handed down a seven months sentence and activated part of the suspended sentence to make a total of nine months. A three-year Restraining Order was also put in place.
The defendant had £500 bail fixed for appeal.