14 years for man who subjected his ex to 'breathtaking' violence, stabbing her 50 times
21-year-old Niamh Kelly speaking to media outside the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin after Josh O’Brien, of Walkinstown Avenue, Crumlin, Dublin 12, pleaded guilty to attempted murder of Ms Kelly at Firhouse Rd, Firhouse, Dublin 24 on September 19, 2024. Picture: Collins Courts
A young man who left his ex-girlfriend with lifelong injuries after he tried to murder her by stabbing her 50 times has been jailed for 14 years and warned not to contact the victim.
Sentencing Josh O’Brien, aged 22, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring described the violence he used on 21-year-old Niamh Kelly as “breath-taking”. Her survival was “nothing short of a miracle”, the judge said, but she now lives a “totally different life” and will face limitations and challenges nobody should have to endure.
Ms Justice Ring added: “All of this was avoidable. All of it flows from the actions of Josh O’Brien. At the time of the attack, Ms Kelly had gone to get ready for a concert the following day.
However well she rehabilitates, Ms Justice Ring said the victim’s “clock will only go forward and what she has lost will never be returned... she is confined to her new circumstances for the rest of her life”.
While noting that O’Brien has no previous convictions, the judge said she is conscious of “significant violence to partners and ex-partners by persons without a criminal background.”
O’Brien, she said, has a history of mental health issues, but he did not look for or follow a mental health regime prior to the assault.
Relationships, the judge said, “should be based on love, respect, and trust, not manipulation, abuse, and violence.”
Women are predominantly the victims, she said, and lives are often lost or — as in this case — profoundly changed.
Having regard to the level of violence used, the fact that O'Brien stabbed his victim with a knife he had been carrying for some time and that the victim suffered life-altering, permanent injuries, the judge set a headline sentence of 19 years.
After considering O’Brien’s immediate admission to gardaí, his early guilty plea, his lack of previous convictions, his age, and his mental health background, she reduced the sentence to 15 years and six months, with the final 18 months suspended.
O'Brien must keep all appropriate appointments with the probation services following his release and must not contact Ms Kelly for five years either directly or via Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok or any other form of electronic messaging, the judge warned.
Ms Justice Ring wished the victim well in her ongoing recovery.
O’Brien, of Walkinstown Ave, Crumlin, Dublin 12, pleaded guilty earlier this year to the attempted murder of Ms Kelly at Firhouse Rd, Firhouse, Dublin 24, on September 19, 2024.
Outside court Ms Kelly told media that she had hoped for a heavier sentence but was happy that O'Brien is "not walking away and getting away with anything he's done to me".
She said she respects the judge's decision.
She said she continues to require physiotherapy to help strengthen her leg and requires a wheelchair when going long distances. However, she feels grateful that she has the opportunity “to stand here”, and wants to get stronger for her son.
In her victim impact statement at a previous hearing, Ms Kelly said her life “changed forever, both physically and mentally” after being stabbed. She said:
She told the court that she has struggled to sleep since then, so she was put on medication to help her sleep, but she still gets flashbacks.
“When I woke up in hospital after the incident and was told about all my injuries, I didn’t want to believe it.
"All the things I wanted to do with my life are gone. I cried and cried, believing my life was over,” she said.
“As a 21-year-old, I feel that my future has been destroyed.”
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