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Fury as 'initiation' four freed | Fury as 'initiation' four freed |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The parents of a boy who was bullied by four men during a so-called initiation ceremony at work say they are furious that the men walked free from court. | The parents of a boy who was bullied by four men during a so-called initiation ceremony at work say they are furious that the men walked free from court. |
The men, from County Londonderry, had been sent to prison for assaulting the 15-year-old but their sentences were quashed on appeal. | |
The teenager was tied to a chair, assaulted and one man exposed himself. | |
The victim's father said his ordeal has had a devastating effect on him, "It's totally destroyed him ever since". | |
"Two years on, he's still up in his room," he added. | |
Appeal court judges overturned the prison sentences imposed on Brian Murphy, 27, and Ronald Burnside, 26, over the assault at a Derry garage in the summer of 2006. | |
The pair challenged the jail terms a day after their two co-accused, garage boss, Patrick Deery, 39, and Jason Ferguson, 21, won appeals against their prison sentences. | |
The Lord Chief Justice described the behaviour of the four men as "despicable", but ruled alternative punishments could be handed down because of their previous good records. | |
Mr Burnside had been jailed for nine months for false imprisonment and two counts of indecent exposure. | |
Instead he was given 150 hours of community service, two years' probation and will have to sign the sex offenders' register. | |
Mr Burnside had his original three-month jail sentence for common assault suspended for two years. |