By Lesley Walsh
THE mother of a young Bangor man, badly injured in a drunken city centre assault, has strongly criticised the suspended prison sentence handed down to his attacker.
Twenty three year-old Josh Mannis received a 20-month suspended sentence for battering the young man in Bangor city centre leaving him with a broken arm and ‘significant mental trauma’.
Now his mother, Natalie Quinn, has criticised the sentence imposed on Mannis, questioning the message it sends out to the public. She also said that her son’s experience has left her recommending that anyone who sees someone in distress should ‘walk on by’.
The incident occurred in March 2024 when Ms Quinn’s son was in Bangor socialising with friends.
Because Mannis pleaded guilty to the charges the full details of the attack were not revealed in court, but Ms Quinn explained that events unfolded as Mannis and his girlfriend walked through Bangor arguing.
As she passed Ms Quinn’s son Mannis shouted at him ‘what are you looking at’ and then punched him three times to the back of the head. Mannis then walked off leaving a shocked teenager and his own distressed girlfriend.
Ms Quinn said her son began to comfort the young woman, while ‘she was apologising to him’ for the assault. He told her his aunt was coming to collect him and that she could also give her a lift home.
“Mannis came back and started getting aggressive with my sister when she said she needed to make sure the girl was safe, and he was saying ‘of course she’s safe, she’s with me’” said Ms Quinn.
She said that Mannis then ‘made a beeline for her son again’, knocking her sister to the ground as she tried to prevent the assault.
Mannis’ girlfriend was also knocked to the ground, banging her head. Mannis knocked the boy to the ground, where he was unconscious, and continued his assault by kicking him in the body, face and head.
“As well as the broken arm, he also had cuts all over his face and our dentist had him come in because he said injuries to the jaw can have a long-term impact,” said Ms Quinn.
She added that her son will likely never regain full use of his arm, and that following the incident, the young man had to sleep sitting up on the sofa for a full week while awaiting surgery, and suffer ‘the indignity of being washed and dressed by his mother at his age’ due to his incapacity.
“He had to have months of physio and though he goes about his day now, he couldn’t even help me lift down the Christmas decorations from the loft when I went up to get them down recently,” she said.
Worse, however, she said, is the mental impact of the attack, which makes him fearful of going for a night out with friends.
Both her son and the witnesses with him on the night of the assault have all sought counselling as a direct result of the incident. Ms Quinn said the effect on her sister has also been profound, stating that ‘when I read her victim impact statement I cried’.
Mannis, from Abbey Close, Millisle, was given a 20-month sentence, suspended for three years, for grievous bodily harm, and was ordered to pay £10,000 in compensation.
Mannis appeared in the dock of Downpatrick Crown Court on November 19 when he received a further six month suspended sentence for common assault on Ms Quinn’s sister.
During the hearing a defence barrister said Mannis, who is the father to a young child, has given up alcohol. He also highlighted his exemplary career as a ‘public servant’.
But questioning ‘a suspended sentence for life-changing harm’, Ms Quinn said: ‘It’s hard to understand how Mannis’ career as a so-called ‘public servant’ was considered more important than justice for the victims.’
“In a society that claims to stand against violence against women, against young people, and in support of men’s mental health, this outcome feels like a complete failure of the system. What message does this send? What justice is this for my family?” she asked.
“Someone in a position of public trust should be held to higher standards, not given leniency. Their role and authority should have been a reason for a harsher sentence, not a lighter one.”
Stating she was ‘endlessly proud of my son’, a ‘caring’ person who works with vulnerable adults, she said he had tried ‘to protect not only his auntie, but Mannis’ girlfriend’. “His courage and character speak louder than any verdict ever could.”
She said they ‘can only hope that, in time, the person responsible and his girlfriend reflect deeply on what happened that night.’
“My family will carry the scars, but we will also carry our heads high,” she added.
“And just a final thought: I genuinely never understood before this incident why people walk on by when they see someone in distress, but after this, it’s exactly what I would advise anyone to do. And what a sorry state this world is in, when that’s the case.”
