By Claire Henry
A Dublin man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after he threatened to “cut the neck” of his neighbour in what a judge described as “a mixture of blind stupidity and alcohol”.
Christopher Lambe (32) of Rossfield Avenue, Tallaght, Dublin 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Ms Julie Piggot.
Detective Garda John Byrne told Lisa Dempsey, BL, prosecuting, that on 24 January 2021, he was alerted to an incident in Rossfiled Avenue.
Ms Piggot told gardaí she was woken at 5am by someone banging on a downstairs window. She looked out the window and saw a man wearing a woolen hat.
Ms Piggot thought this was her partner, who lives a few doors away.
She first checked on her children and then went downstairs and opened the front door.
Det Gda Byrne told the court that no one was there when she opened the door.
She then felt someone grab her from around the waist and pull her from the doorway.
At this time, she could feel something being pressed into her side.
The court heard that Lambe forced Ms Piggot across the road to an apartment with which she wasn’t familiar.
Lambe was still shouting at Ms Piggot that he would stab her.
The woman was forced to knock on the apartment door, and a male and female answered.
The woman told the couple that she was forced to knock on the door and if she didn’t, “he would stab me.”
At this point, Lambe ran away. Gardaí were called to the scene.
Ms Piggot told gardaí that the man who had forced her across the road and threatened to stab her was Christopher Lambe, whom she had met previously through her partner.
CCTV footage from the occupiers of the apartment that Ms Piggot was forced to knock on was used to identify Lambe, who lived one floor up.
The CCTV footage further depicted Lambe saying, “I will cut the neck of ya,” to Ms Piggot.
A warrant was issued to gardaí, but Lambe was not home when they arrived at his property.
Gardaí gained entry and observed items of clothing which matching those worn by Lambe on the CCTV footage.
Det Gda Byrne told the court that gardaí returned a time later, and Lambe was arrested and brought to Tallaght Garda Station, where he was later charged.
Lambe has 86 previous convictions.
John Fitzgerald SC defending, told the court that his client had a good work history and came from a good family background.
Character references were handed into court on Lambe’s behalf, including a letter from his father.
Mr Fitzgerald said Lambe was under the influence of alcohol and “acted stupidly” after he believed that Ms Piggot’s partner had not taken correct care of his dog while he was away.
Judge Martin Nolan said for some bizarre reason, Lambe had enticed the injured party out of her home, and the purpose of this escapade was to get her to apologise to the occupiers of the apartment regarding the nose his dog made while in the care of her partner.
Judge Nolan said that Lambe must have absolutely terrified the woman.
He said he would consider Lambe’s expression of remorse as a mitigating factor; along with the fact that Lambe seemed to be a good family man, as reflected in his father’s letter.
Judge Nolan said, “It goes without saying that he cannot escape a custodial sentence.
A mixture of blind stupidity and alcohol were involved in carrying out this offence.”
He sentenced Lambe to 18 months in prison.