STAR Limerick hurler Kyle Hayes will have to wait until at least February 205 to find out if he is going to jail after he was convicted of violent disorder at a nightclub in the city.
A two-year suspended sentence was imposed on the five-time All-Star winning hurler last December, after he was convicted of two counts of violent disorder at the Icon nightclub on Denmark Street in Limerick City on October 28, 2019.
This Monday, Mr Hayes (26) appeared before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court for re-entry of the two-year suspended sentence that was triggered after he was convicted of dangerous driving at Mallow District Court last September.
Mr Hayes’ barrister, Brian McInerney, told the court this week that the suspended sentence matter could not be heard because his cilent was appealing his dangerous driving conviction, which had to be heard first.
“I am informed that the appeal in the alleged criminal offence is listed for December 19th in Cork, and nothing can happen here before that,” Mr McInerney told Judge Colin Daly.
Judge Daly remanded Mr Hayes on continuing bail to appear before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court for the violent disorder suspended sentence hearing on February 10, 2025.
Mr Hayes, who was shortlisted for Hurler of the Year 2024, was found guilty by a jury last December of one count of violent disorder on the dancefloor of the Icon nightclub and one count of violent disorder outside the nightclub in 2019.
The 26-year-old, of Ballyashea, Kildimo, County Limerick, had contested the charges and was acquitted of a third alleged offence, of assault causing harm to Cillian McCarthy inside the nightclub on the same date.
In addition to his suspended sentence, Mr Hayes was ordered to pay Mr McCarthy €10,000 in compensation.
Mr McCarthy had told Mr Hayes’ trial that he had to have surgery to repair a fractured bone in the socket of his right eye, and that he also suffered bruising, severe headaches, blurred vision, and psychological trauma.
Mr McCarthy also said he had received hateful messages from people on social media and photos of him were circulated online alongside “nasty comments”.
Judge Sheehan suspended Mr Hayes’ two-year sentence for violent disorder on condition he did not offended within a two year period.
Last September, Mr Hayes was convicted of a separate offence of dangerous driving by Judge Colm Roberts at Mallow District Court after the hurler had contested the charge.
He had offered a plea to a lesser offence of careless driving, however Judge Roberts said he did not accept this, and convicted Mr Hayes of one count of dangerous driving on the N20 Cork Limerick road, on July 14 last.
Mallow courthouse heard Mr Hayes had driven 150km/h in a 100km/h speed-limit zone at Lissavoura, Grenagh, near Mallow. Garda Deirdre Barrett told the court she had observed Mr Hayes’ white Audi A6 overtaking nine other vehicles at high speed on approach to a section of the road which narrows from two lanes to one lane.
Judge Roberts told the star hurler that “speed kills, and this was excessive and dangerous speed”.
“There are too many deaths on the roads, and he might think he’s the chosen one and that things won’t go wrong for him, but things do go wrong.”
