Man jailed for attack on stranger he mistakenly thought broke into his niece’s bedroom

By Isabel Hayes

A man who carried out a savage attack on a stranger he mistakenly thought had invaded his niece’s bedroom, kicking him to the head and stabbing his leg, has been jailed for 40 months.

James O’Driscoll set upon the man, whom he had never met, on O’Connell Street in Dublin in March 2020 after his niece told him a man had entered her bedroom.

The victim, who had spent the night at a “crack house” in the inner city, suffered a large stab wound to the leg and head injuries in the attack, which was captured on CCTV.

O’Driscoll (51) of Champions Avenue, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the man on March 30, 2020. He has 100 previous convictions, including assault, threats to kill, robbery and theft.

Sentencing him today at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan said it was “a savage attack” that was at the higher end of the scale. He noted O’Driscoll has a record of criminal convictions.

He handed down a sentence of 40 months.

Detective Garda Sheila Sheehan told Fiona Crawford BL, prosecuting, said the victim in the case travelled to Dublin from Tullamore to get some pills and drugs. He met some women at Heuston Station and went to a “crack house”, where he spent the night.

He was walking along O’Connell Street around 7am the following morning when he was set upon by O’Driscoll.

The court was shown footage which showed O’Driscoll repeatedly kicking the man in the head, as he cowered in a hotel doorway. The hotel was closed at the time due to Covid restrictions.

The man was seen by passers-by with blood-soaked tracksuit bottoms and runners and with a bleeding head.

He was taken to hospital and given treatment, including a number of staples for his head wound.

O’Driscoll was arrested by gardaí who recognised him from the CCTV footage. When interviewed, he identified himself on camera, but said he had no recollection of the incident.

He told gardaí his teenage niece told him she woke up to find a man standing in her bedroom and he went out in the street to look for him.

Garrett McCormack BL, defending, said O’Driscoll had a sum of €1,000 in court as a token of remorse for his victim.

He wished to apologise and express his “deep remorse” for his actions that day. He works as a scaffolder, the court heard.