A man who has been homeless for “significant” portions of time due to his long standing addictions to heroin and crack cocaine broke the jaw of a man who has prosthetic limb, mugged a man at a Luas stop, and stole the rucksack of a German tourist in a spate of crimes, two of which were committed while on bail for the first.
Patrick Cawley (35), of Plunkett Crescent, Finglas, Dublin, appeared before the Central Criminal Court this afternoon where Garda Robert Kennedy told Judge Orla Crowe that he has 127 previous convictions for a range of offences including theft, assault, criminal damage, and public order incidents.
He received consecutive sentences amounting to 5 years and 3 months with the final 12 months suspended for the combined offences
On the 1st of July 2021 he assaulted a man who has a prosthetic limb in Charlie’s on Dame Street after the victim had exchanged words with a group of people in the Chinese restaurant. CCTV showed Cawley, wearing a cap and mask, punching the man in the jaw which caused an “acute mandibular jaw fracture” in two places requiring the victim to have his jaw wired.
Garda Kennedy told the court that street CCTV showed Cawley leaving the scene, where he removed the hat and mask, before leaving in the direction of Bachelor’s walk.
He identified himself when shown the street CCTV but denied having carried out the assault; he eventually pleaded guilty after taking a trial date.
He has five previous convictions for assault, 18 for theft, and received a 3 year prison sentence with 1 year 3 months suspended in 2022 for aggravated burglary.
In 2017 he received a 3 year jail sentence with 18 months suspended for robbery, and in 2011 a 2 year 6 month sentence with 15 months suspended for a similar offence.
Cawley’s defending counsel, Declan Higgins BL, told the court that his client has been homeless for “a significant portion of his life” and entered care after losing his mother, father, and brother in quick succession at the age of 15.
Mr. Higgins said his client was “candid” with Gardaí when interviewed and said he didn’t remember assaulting the victim due to his drug use.
He has been in custody on other matters for the last 13 months and is now drug free save for methadone, which Higgins said was a significant event given his long history of substance abuse.
Man mugged at St. Stephen’s Green Luas stop
On the 28th of April 2024 Cawley and a co-accused mugged a man at the St. Stephen’s Green Luas stop.
The victim, who is in his 20s, noticed Cawley give him a ‘thumbs up’ before another man wrapped his arms around him from behind and Cawley proceeded to take his wallet. The victim managed to hold onto his phone which he used to cancel his cards before pursuing the two men to some tents and demanding that they return the stolen item.
Both of the men denied having the wallet with the accused saying, “Don’t accuse me of stealing your wallet or I’ll break your head.”
An attempt was made to purchase €33.70 worth of goods with the stolen bank card from a Spar shop, with Cawley saying, “I was sick, I needed the money” and that he can’t remember what he did with the wallet.
He also said he couldn’t remember committing this offence, but that it “probably” was him.
Defendant steals rucksack from German tourist
Garda Christine McNamara of Pearse Street station gave evidence that on the 12th of May 2024 a German tourist named Holgar Remmer, who is in his 60s, was visiting Dublin from his home in New Brandenburg when Cawley approached the man and “fist pumped” him before asking him for a cigarette.
Mr. Remmer said he did not smoke at which point the accused grabbed his bag from between his feet and ran off into the Spar on Westmoreland Street.
Inside the Spar, Cawley “hid behind shelves” while Remmer was looking for him.
He eventually located the accused and the pair “grappled” with each other at the door of the shop before Cawley punched Remmer in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Cawley was arrested later that day and charged at Pearse Street Garda station. Although the bag was located, the contents were all lost with the incident costing the victim, who now has a “fear of crowds and travel”, over €1,000 due to cancelled plans.
Mr. Higgins said that Cawley was engaging with a traveller support network and that he was “a very vulnerable individual” who is “not able to read or write”.
Despite this he has made progress “from the gallows of addiction”, he said, asking Judge Crowe to structure his sentence with an emphasis on rehabilitation.
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