Samurai sword man goes on hunger strike in prison

A man facing sentencing for fracturing another man’s skull with a samurai sword has started a hunger strike in prison.

Patrick O’Rourke is refusing to take food or fluids, said Mahon Corkery, defence barrister at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.

Mr Corkery said he did not want sentencing to go ahead yesterday due to the hunger strike and related circumstances: “I have an application to adjourn sentence. I cannot take proper instructions from my client. I am told he is refusing food and fluids. He is a lot less lucid than I would like for him to give me instructions.”

Prosecution barrister Donal O’Sullivan said the prosecution was keen to proceed with sentencing. Mr O’Sullivan said O’Rourke was convicted in 2014 of producing a sword and causing the injury; he was granted bail pending sentence and then failed to appear in court for that purpose and was unlawfully at large for more than two years until his arrest last month: “The injured party is here and he would like the matter to proceed.”

Judge Riordan said that because of the defence apprehension that clear instructions could not be obtained he was prepared to adjourn sentencing until March 30 but it would be peremptory against the defendant. Mr Corkery said a psychiatric report was being prepared on the accused.

A jury reached unanimous guilty verdicts in the case against the accused back in November 2014 on charges of producing a samurai sword and assault causing harm.

O’Rourke, whose address at the time was 3 The Cottages, Tramore Rd, Cork, pleaded not guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to a charge of assault causing harm to Trevor Morgan on June 11, 2012 at Tramore Rd, and to a charge of producing a samurai sword.

Judge Riordan remanded O’Rourke on bail for sentencing in November 2014. However, when the case was called there was no sign of O’Rourke and a warrant had to be issued for his arrest.

During the trial, Mr Morgan said he worked in the Tramore Rd area and the defendant, who lived by the entrance to the workplace, had had a dispute with him in relation to traffic at the gateway. The court heard Trevor and Karen Morgan testified that when they saw the accused that night he had something long in his hand and he started verbally abusing them and walking toward them. They said O’Rourke slapped Mr Morgan in the face with his hand, Mr Morgan threw chips at him and O’ Rourke brought down the samurai sword on Mr Morgan over his right eye, causing a skull fracture.