Man jailed for knife attack on doctor

A doctor who took a blood test from a man in Co Cork, during the Rachel Kiely murder investigation was attacked by this man - wielding a knife - because he blamed the doctor for getting him into trouble.

Conor Downey, aged 34, of Castlepark, Ballincollig, was jailed for four years today for assault causing harm to Dr Pat Lee at 7pm on June 24 last.

Downey served time in England for the unlawful killing of a woman in 1993.

Dr Lee met Downey once before the night that the accused attacked and threatened to kill him.

That was when the doctor took a blood sample from Downey by request of the gardaí as a number of individuals were being tested during the Rachel Kiely murder investigation.

The blood sample showed Downey had absolutely nothing to do with that crime.

However, Downey ended up being linked to another offence now pending before the courts as a result of the evidence of his blood sample.

It links him to an alleged offence in the late 1980’s.

Downey arrived in Dr Lee’s surgery carrying the long-bladed butcher’s boning knife on the night in question and he shouted, "You took blood from me and I’m going to court because of you."

The knife was pointed at Dr Lee’s stomach and at his chest and he suffered cuts to his hands trying to protect himself.

“He had the knife pointed directly at my chest. He said if I did not let go of the knife I was going to die,” Dr Lee said.

Dr Lee and waiting patients helped to overpower Downey before the gardaí arrived.

Judge Sean O’Donnabhain said that four years out of a maximum possible sentence of five years was appropriate in a case where it was an assault on someone who was caring for people when it happened.

The sentence was backdated to June as Downey has been in custody since then.