Justice at last over attack 21 years ago

Oliver Coleman should have stood trial in 1990 accused of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Hugh Raymond O’Gorman the previous year in Armley, but jumped bail and disappeared.

Mr O’Gorman, who was in his early 40s remained in a coma with head injuries after June 9 1989 and died of pneumonia and bronchitis 16 months after he was injured outside the Victory House Working Men’s Club.

His assailant could not face a more serious charge because as the law then stood the death happened more than a year and a day after the offence.

Coleman was eventually tracked to the Republic of Ireland where at one stage he was confronted during a Roger Cook television investigation into fugitives on the run, when criticism was made that he had not been detained earlier.

Following that he was eventually arrested and extradition proceedings initiated.

Coleman lost a challenge in 2003 in the Irish Supreme Court against his surrender to the British authorities but by then was serving a sentence in that country.

In July that year he had been cleared of murdering 20-year-old Michael Rosney who was shot at a cider party in a house in Co Offaly in 2001, but was found guilty of his manslaughter.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and after the conviction a police superintendent described Coleman as a man with a “very violent temper” with previous arrests for assault.

It was only last year after completing his sentence that he was flown back to England to face trial here but yesterday pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court to the charge of causing Mr O’Gorman grievous bodily harm with intent.

Sentence was adjourned after Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, told the court the Crown would not dispute Coleman’s basis of plea alleging he had disarmed Mr O’Gorman of a knife “because in the view of the Crown the seriousness of the incident is not measured by the existence of any knife that there may have been.”

He said it was the events after that which included repeated stamping on the chest, head and scrotum area, which had left Mr O’Gorman with brain damage and other injuries.

“The Crown is not at 21 years distance of the view, whether or not Mr O’Gorman was armed with a knife, would materially affect the sentence.”

He said Coleman had admitted having disarmed Mr O’Gorman and “therefore with no need for any further confrontation at all nevertheless he then continued to kick and stamp on him, in the circumstances of the case we would say upwards to 20 times.”

Derek Duffy for Coleman said by the end of 2004 he had been available for repatriation but that had not happened.