Robber jailed for pushing elderly man in front of traffic

By Sonya McLean

A woman who pushed an elderly man out in front of oncoming traffic as she was trying to rob a bag of tools from him has been jailed for 13 months.

Edel Stirling (45) of Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2, came forward to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on signed pleas of guilty from the District Court. She pleaded guilty to theft, robbery and criminal damage by urinating in a cell at Mountjoy Garda Station on December 13, 2024.

The court heard that the 82-year-old man was locking up a premises he had been working in Dublin City Centre when he heard someone rummaging through a plastic bag of tools he had left at the front of the property.

He came out to investigate and spotted Stirling running off with the bag. She was accompanied by what the victim described as “an intoxicated man”.

The victim followed and managed to get the tools back off Stirling but she swung out at him and tried to pull the bag back claiming that it belonged to her.

A witness to the robbery described Stirling as punching the victim in the face and knocking him to the ground before she continued to punch him in the face. He said the robber also pulled the victim out in front of a taxi, causing the driver to slam on his brakes to avoid impact.

Stirling spat at the passerby who had come to the man’s assistance and another person took a photograph of her. The victim was left with injuries to his nose, face and head.

The gardaí were alerted. They were given a description of Stirling and they were informed what direction she had run in. She was arrested a short time later and taken in for questioning but was deemed too intoxicated for interview by a doctor called to the station.

Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, said Stirling urinated in the station during the course of her time there.

Counsel said she made no admissions during garda interview, when she was later deemed fit, but expressed concern for the welfare of the victim when she was shown photographs of his injuries.

Mr Collins said the man had not completed a victim impact statement. Stirling has 40 previous convictions including assault, assault causing harm and 25 bench warrants.

Niall Nolan BL, defending, acknowledged that this was a “horrific” incident for this “poor gentleman” and accepted he had suffered injuries as a result of the attack.

He said his client was a mother of two, who has a history of intoxication, addiction and homelessness but said she has detoxed since her remand in prison and is now stable.

Mr Nolan said his client has engaged with various programmes in prison and the staff on those programmes describe her as “open and respectful”.

Counsel submitted that his client had been drinking heavily that day and struggled to recall the incident. He said she was remorseful for the injuries she caused the victim.

Judge Dara Hayes noted that the victim had initially got his bag back from Stirling but she continued to be abusive and insisted the bag was hers before she continued the assault.

He accepted that she had expressed “considerable concern and remorse” and was intoxicated that day.

The judge further accepted that she engaged well with various programmes in prison.

“These are serious offences. Significant violence was used against a man,” Judge Hayes said before he took into account the age of the victim and the injuries he sustained from the attack.

He acknowledged Stirling’s co-operation, expression of remorse and her efforts to rehabilitate.

Judge Hayes set a headline sentence of three years and half years for the robbery offence, with the other offences taken into account.

He reduced this sentence to two years and four months before he suspended the final 15 months on strict conditions.