Down footballer James McCartan will face sentencing later this month after being found guilty of the assault that shattered an opponent's jaw last year.
At a sitting of Dublin District Court yesterday, Judge William Early rejected as a "lie" the twice All-Ireland winner's claim that accidental contact caused the injury to Westmeath's Kenneth Larkin during a match in May 2003.
The judge said he had no doubt Mr Larkin was telling the truth when he said that McCartan punched him deliberately, breaking his jaw in two places.
Deferring sentence until November 22nd, Judge Early said his attitude then would be influenced by any offer of restitution to the injured party.
Few spectators attended the challenge game and investigations into the incident were hampered by a shortage of independent witnesses.
The GAA's Games Administration Committee held a protracted inquiry before deciding to drop the matter. The association also criticised the Garda after detectives attempted to question McCartan as he left a hearing at Croke Park.
Mr Larkin defended his delay in alerting gardaí, saying: "I was hardly able to speak at this stage."
Judge Early contrasted the ambitions of the two players, one a youngster trying to secure his place in the team, the other a 32-year-old embarking on the last season of a "heroic career".
The contest between them would have been "intense", he said, but: "To strike someone without legal justification is a crime, whether it takes place in the street, in the family home, or the football pitch".
