By Eimear Dodd
A man who stabbed two neighbours while experiencing cocaine-induced paranoid delusions has been jailed for four years.
The 25-year-old Dublin man pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm and one of production of an article – a knife – capable of inflicting serious harm on November 20, 2024.
He cannot be identified for legal reasons.
An investigating garda told David Perry BL, prosecuting, that the two victims are a father in his 50s and his son in his 20s, who were neighbours of the man. There had been no issues between the neighbours before this incident, the court heard.
The man entered their garden and told the older victim that he was looking for a football. He took a hunting knife from his pocket, then stabbed the older man in the back three times.
As the older man tried to get past him, the defendant went to stab him again, cutting the man’s thumb as his victim attempted to defend himself.
This victim’s son heard shouting and came outside to help his father. The defendant stabbed him to the right side of head, before leaving the property.
Emergency services were called and the two victims were taken to hospital. The father suffered three stab wounds to his back and cuts to his neck and thumb. His son sustained a cut to his head, which required five staples, minor bruising and a cut to his arm.
Victim impact statements were read to the court by Mr Perry. Both victims said the incident had physical and psychological effects on them.
The father said the garden was a “place of enjoyment” before this incident, but their home has become a “prison” and the family no longer feel safe there.
He said the family have installed new security measures. He said it is forever on his mind that his son was also a victim. He said not knowing the reason for the attack has also caused him fear for the future.
In his victim impact statement, the son said he no longer feels safe at home and the attack has had a significant impact on his mental health.
Gardai noted the man was under the influence of intoxicants when arrested a short time later but was fully co-operative. After caution, the man made certain unfounded claims about his neighbours which he later repeated when interviewed.
The man was deemed unfit for interview for eight hours. He then made full admissions, saying he had gone into the garden legitimately to get a ball. He said he got a fright and stabbed the older man as he thought he was going to do something.
He told gardai he had taken a large amount of cocaine and had not slept for several days before the attack. He said he had an addiction to cocaine and suffered with cocaine-induced psychosis.
The man has a small number of previous convictions including for drugs possession, road traffic and public order offences.
Defence counsel said he was instructed to apologise to the victims on his client’s behalf. His client has also undertaken not to return to that address upon his release.
The defendant started using cocaine as a teenager, but managed to get clean. His addiction reignited following the death of a relative in 2020 and it was around this time that he started to experience paranoid delusions.
Counsel said his client is drug-free while in custody and wishes to attend residential treatment upon his release from custody.
His client has a work history in construction and has been using his time in custody well. A letter of apology, a letter from a doctor and character references were handed to the court.
Imposing sentence, Orla Crowe noted that the victims are “entirely blameless” and have both “suffered greatly” as a result of the attack.
She said this was an “utterly senseless shocking assault” which occurred in the garden of the victims’ home.
The judge said this was their safe space and the “brutal attacks” inflicted by the man violated the sense of safety everyone is entitled to have at home.
She noted that the man had been experiencing psychosis, which had been brought about by his abuse of substances.
Having considered the mitigation, Judge Crowe imposed a five-year prison sentence.
She suspended the final 12 months on strict conditions, noting that the court is concerned that the man re-enter society upon his release with supports to get his addiction under control and to reduce his risk of being a danger to the victims or others.
The judge backdated the man’s sentence to the date he went into custody and directed that he undergo 12 months’ probation supervision following his release from custody.