Man jailed for hammer assault in front of school children

By Niamh O’Donoghue

A man has been jailed for 18 months for assaulting a man with a claw hammer in front of children at a school in South County Dublin.

Clyde Keogh (29) formerly of Pembroke Road, Dublin 2 pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm at the school on September 22, 2023.

The court heard there was a row between parents outside the school around 9am that morning and that two women had been arguing with a man in the yard. The women claimed the injured party’s child had been involved in bullying, the court heard.

Garda Kurt Fitzgerald gave evidence the women left in a car and Keogh, who was then a partner of one of those women, returned at 9.10am and started fighting with the injured party who was pushing a double buggy and had children with him.

Gda Fitzgerald told Derek Cooney BL, prosecuting, that Keogh shouted “put the baby down” several times at the injured party who then put the child back into the buggy.

The injured party tried to walk away. Keogh was throwing punches then reached into his waistband,  took out a claw hammer and started swinging it towards the injured party’s head.

The court heard the injured party managed to grab the hammer and Keogh ran away. The injured party sustained injuries but declined to make a victim impact statement. He sustained cuts to his head, hand and had scratches on his elbow.

Defence counsel said Keogh’s partner was present in court with his mother. He is working fulltime now.

Keogh is now living in Cork where he is working in construction and has a new partner. His defence counsel said he hasn’t come to the attention of gardai since and adhered to his bail conditions. He has 75 previous convictions.

Judge Elva Duffy handed down a two-and-a-half year sentence and suspended the final year of it on strict conditions.

Judge Duffy said she would have to look at the overall seriousness of the offending. She noted drugs had been taken but she didn’t have up-to-date information on whether Keogh was still using.

She said she did not accept that he just turned up with an implement and said “that is and can never be the way to carry out your business”. She noted Keogh had expressed remorse but said she could not avoid imposing a custodial sentence.

Keogh’s partner wept as sentence was handed down and embraced him as he was led away into custody to begin his 18-month incarceration.