Jail for ‘chop up’ threat

A man who threatened to “chop up” his sister and any member of her family that “gets in my way” because of a dispute over the sale of their family home has been sentenced to four years.

Darran O’Brien, aged 35, rang his niece looking for her mother Patricia Dunne and threatened to “chop her [Patricia’s] hand off so she won’t be able to drink another pint”. He said he was coming to the woman’s home for “her blood” and if anybody got in his way he would “chop them all up”.

O’Brien said he did not care if the woman’s grandchildren were there and that he would “surprise them”.