A 26-year-old Dublin man who stabbed his aunt’s boyfriend about a dozen times in a Dublin flat complex has been jailed for two and a half years.
Thomas McAuley (26), of Shamrock Terrace, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm contrary to Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act at the Circuit Criminal Court.
Garda Jordan Kennedy, stationed at Pearse Street, told the court that on the 13th of March this year the injured party was assaulted in the courtyard of a flat complex. Judge Martin Nolan heard the victim had “no memory” of the attack and “woke up in a pool of blood”. He had 11 or 12 cuts, mainly to his lower legs and feet, none of which were life-threatening.
Prosecuting counsel, Grainne O’Neill BL, told the court that after CCTV footage of the incident was posted on social media, Gardaí were able to trace the accused. The court heard he had been seen earlier that day wearing the same clothes. The injured party spent about 10 days in hospital, a stay prolonged by the fact that he was homeless, Garda Kennedy said.
There was no victim impact statement, she said.
Judge Nolan heard that the injured party was in a relationship with McAuley’s aunt. Gardaí described the incident as arising from a “dispute.”
McAuley has 42 previous convictions, all in the District Court, including 22 road traffic offences and 10 possession of drugs offences. The rest are for obstruction under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Counsel for the accused, Joe Mulrean BL, said McAuley pleaded guilty on the first day, which was of significant assistance to the prosecution. The court heard that the person who filmed the footage was not a witness and its origin was unknown, which could have raised issues over its admissibility.
The court heard that McAuley left school after the Junior Cert and has worked in painting and decorating and mechanics. He now repairs bikes. His late father was a “drug addict”, and he has used cannabis since the age of 15.
Mr Mulrean said the incident began with a phone call about a family issue, after the aunt’s children witnessed “an incident”. He said someone handed McAuley “an implement”, which he used during the “straightener”.
Having heard the facts, Judge Nolan said McAuley had a confrontation with the injured party, obtained a weapon and “stabbed him about a dozen times in the feet, legs and hip area”, leaving him unconscious. He noted this was McAuley’s most serious offence to date and said he hoped the defendant could change.
The court set a headline sentence of five years, which was reduced to two and a half years, describing the guilty plea as “very valuable.” The sentence runs from the 7 th of April this year.