A man who seriously injured a Co Galway student after he threw a traffic cone from a bridge in Edinburgh last November yesterday avoided a jail sentence - after a plea from his victim.
Australian Andrew Smith (30) was ordered to carry out 180 hours of community service as an alternative to prison.
Smith threw the cone over railings and struck Kate Flannery 13 metres below as she stood with friends outside a pub in Edinburgh city centre.
The postgraduate occupational therapy student suffered an extensive broken skull and three fractured vertebrae in her spine. Her arms and legs were paralysed. She is now making a good recovery and said she did not want to see Smith go to jail.
The judge, Lady Dorrian, told Smith: "Your actions which led to such tragic consequences for Miss Flannery were stupid, thoughtless and show a degree of immaturity not to be expected in someone of your age."
She said: "I take into account as has been so generously, but correctly, identified by Miss Flannery and her family that you did not act with the intention of causing harm to Miss Flannery or anyone else."
She praised the victim, saying: "She has shown great courage, fortitude and strength of character in the way she has dealt with her injuries."