Facebook nets Four Candles knifeman (From Oxford Mail)

Facebook nets Four Candles knifeman

9:30am Tuesday 14th September 2010 in News By Thom Airs

Jailed: Sean Keaney

A PUB doorman identified his teenage attacker hours after being stabbed at an Oxford nightspot – from a picture on social networking website Facebook.

Lee Donnelly was shown a photograph of Sean Keaney by his son hours after being taken to hospital with a stab wound to the stomach.

Keaney, then 18, had returned to The Four Candles in George Street and stabbed the doorman, who had earlier refused him entry for being too drunk.

Keaney, of Outram Road, Cowley, was yesterday jailed for three years.

Jonathan Stone, prosecuting, said Mr Donnelly’s son, Liam, was working behind the bar of nearby OFS.

He said his son ‘came over and told his father he’d heard Sean Keaney did it’.

Mr Stone said: “His son said ‘I know him and his friends’.

“In hospital he showed him a picture from Facebook of Keaney and he (Donnelly Snr) confirmed it was indeed him.”

Mr Donnelly Snr later picked out Keaney in a video line-up.

Mr Stone told Oxford Crown Court that Keaney attempted to get into the pub with a friend at about 11.30pm on January 24 but was refused entry by the Botley doorman.

He said: “This seemed to trigger something.

“He called Mr Donnelly a ‘fat ****’ and invited him to go down to a nearby alleyway to ‘sort it out’, putting it in his words. The bouncer, perhaps unwisely, did go round the corner to get him to calm down.”

But Mr Stone told the court Keaney then lunged forward and punched Mr Donnelly in the face, causing him to bite his tongue.

He said the doorman then threw a punch “but only in self defence”.

The court heard that about an hour later, Keaney returned to the pub. Mr Stone said: “Mr Donnelly saw Mr Keaney coming along George Street from the Worcester Street car park.

“He asked him, ‘are you ok? have you calmed down now?’ but got no reply and he lunged towards Mr Donnelly, who spotted the shiny blade of a knife.

“He responded by pushing him away with an open palm but instantly knew he had been stabbed. He felt it go in and said ‘he’s got me’.”

Mr Donnelly, 39, who plays rugby for Gosford All Blacks, needed a stitch to a one centimetre stab wound.

Keaney, 19, admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon in public.

He was sentenced to three years in a young offenders’ institution.

Hugh Williams, defending, said: “When he hasn’t had a drink he’s a perfectly reasonable young man (but) he changes, and that’s something that he has to address.

“He comes from a good family, is young and he has very limited previous convictions.”

Sentencing Kearney, Judge Julian Hall said: “People are entitled to walk down George Street just before midnight or just after and not have drunkards attacking the door staff.

“By the grace of God you didn’t do him any serious injury.”

Keaney is also awaiting sentence for his involvement in a pub fight in Cheltenham after admitting violent disorder.

He has previous convictions for possessing cocaine, a public-order offence and possessing false identification.