Man jailed for attacking woman with a knife during aggravated burglary

By Sonya McLean

A burglar who attacked a woman with a knife after breaking into her apartment while she and her roommate slept has been jailed for four years.

Osama Sarhan (27) of Belvedere Place, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary at a location in Dublin City Centre on February 11, 2024.

He also pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to the two women on the same date and two further burglaries in Dublin on February 14, 2024.

A detective garda told Liam Dockery BL, prosecuting, that he arrived at the front of the building on February 11 where a number of people had gathered. There was a large amount of blood outside and one of the women had already been taken by ambulance to be treated for severe injuries to her hands.

A pair of runners had been left at the scene which gardaí suspected had been left behind by the burglar.

The detective said three days later Sarhan was arrested at the scene of another burglary after a resident saw him smashing a window with a tree branch.

The same day Osama had broken into Cassidy Hotel where he smashed a window and stole a till worth €300.

The detective said Sarhan walked into the women’s bedroom on February 11 while armed with a knife. A struggle broke out as Sarhan tried to steal from the women and one of the women was injured during the struggle.

The struggle continued out onto the road outside where Sarhan continued to strike out with the knife. He also bit the woman. The knife was later found discarded under a nearby car.

Victim impact statements were handed into the court but not read out.

The detective agreed with Karl Monahan BL, defending, that the knife was taken from the building and the victims noticed it was not sharp.

It was further accepted that Sarhan’s DNA was not found on the knife or the runners and that his guilty plea was of value to the prosecution.

The witness also agreed that Sarhan outlined during interview that he had not been taking his medication in the days before this incident and had been drinking.

It was also accepted that Sarhan expressed remorse when interviewed and that his previous convictions relate to incidents in the weeks before these events.

 A letter of apology, references and other documents were handed to the court. Mr Monahan outlined his client’s personal circumstances, work history and other mitigating factors. He asked the court to take into account his client’s guilty plea.

Imposing sentence, Judge Martin Nolan said the aggravated burglary was “serious” as it involved an encounter between Sarhan and the two women, during which one woman was injured trying to escape.

The judge said the court was willing to accept that Sarhan was going through a “difficult” time when the offences occurred, was taking drugs which affected his judgement and that it appeared he was not an “inherently violent” person.

Having considered Sarhan’s personal circumstances and the mitigation, Judge Nolan imposed a five-year prison sentence, with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions to encourage rehabilitation.