The Court of Criminal Appeal has ruled that the sentence handed down to sex attacker Anthony Lyons was too lenient.
The 52-year-old businessman, with an address at Griffith Avenue, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman near his home three years ago.
The victim wasn't in court to hear that today's appeal was successful but family and friends embraced when the decision was announced.
Anthony Lyons was sentenced to six years behind bars after he was found guilty of rugby tackling and groping a woman near his home in October 2010.
However, the trial judge sparked public controversy after deciding to suspend all but six months of that term and ordering him to pay €75k in compensation.
The State immediately launched an appeal and today they argued that far too much weight had been placed on mitigating factors such as the compensation, his remorse and lack of previous convictions.
The reasons for arriving at today's decision won't be made known until a later date but it took just a few minutes for the three-judge panel to come back with news that they'd decided to allow the state's appeal on the grounds of undue leniency.
The father of four walked free from prison just before Christmas last year but his freedom may be short-lived as a fresh sentence hearing could take place as early as next week.
