Judge gives man nine years for attack on taxi driver

A man whose savage drugs and alcohol-fuelled attack has left a taxi driver living on disability allowance has been given nine years in consecutive sentences for the assualt and for thefts from psychiatric inpatients.

Denis Creagh (aged 25) of Coolock Village, Coolock, had consumed cannabis and alcohol before he launched his vicious attack on Mr Terry Moloney after calling him a "filthy pig" because he wasn’t happy with his fare.

He kicked Mr Maloney in the head and stomach outside St Brendan’s Church in Coolock and when the victim came around after falling to the ground unconscious, he found Creagh leaning over him and biting into his cheek.

Creagh didn’t tear any flesh but the force of the bite cracked the teeth in Mr Maloney’s mouth and when Creagh saw him get up off the ground he returned and punched him again. The incident was witnessed by Father Frank Corry of St Brendan’s Church.

Mr Maloney, who suffered a fractured skull and had 12 teeth knocked out, was detained for three weeks in Beamount Hospital and hasn’t worked as a taxi driver since. He is now on disability allowance.

A medical report stated that serious harm had been caused to him and that he temporarily lost some of his brain function.

Creagh pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to intentionally or recklessly causing Mr Moloney serious harm on June 12, 2004.

Creagh told Judge Katherine Delahunt: "That night should never have happened and it came at a time when I was not myself." He said his stepfather, who he had thought was his biological father until he was 12 years old, had died three weeks previously.

"I don’t think Mr Maloney or anyone deserves that. I apologise to him, his family and friends," he added.

Creagh also pleaded guilty to theft with an accomplice of two mobile phones, €100 and a wallet from psychiatric patients’ private rooms at St Patrick’s Hospital, Dublin on September 12, 2006.

Judge Delahunt imposed consecutive sentences of seven years for the assualt on Mr Maloney and two years for the theft charges. She suspended the final two years on the sentence on conditions.

Judge Delahunt was told by defence counsel, Ms Isobel Kennedy SC (with Ms Majella Lynch BL) that Creagh was devastated when he learnt his stepfather wasn’t his biological father. He was equally affected by the man’s death from cancer and had to take a month off work.

Ms Kennedy said Creagh’s mother threw him out of the family home shortly after the assault because of his drug abuse, but he was now drug free after undergoing a detoxification programme while in custody.

Detective Garda Shane Davern told prosecuting counsel, Mr Ronan Kennedy BL, that Mr Maloney had driven Creagh, his girlfriend and another man, who were all described as being "intoxicated to some degree", to Coolock from a pub and asked for a €12 fare.

Creagh’s girlfriend gave him €5 but the two men claimed that neither of them had the rest of the fare.

Mr Maloney told them to "come on" because he was "very, very busy". He then noticed that the girl was trying to get out of the taxi but there was a problem with her door so he got out to help her.

Creagh got out as well and called him a "filthy pig" before he launched his vicious attack on Mr Maloney which was witnessed by Father Frank Corry of St Brendan’s Church.

Det Gda Davern said Creagh was not at home when he called but he later contacted a witness on his mobile and arranged to meet him. He admitted kicking Mr Maloney once in the head while he was on the ground, kicking him in the face, biting and punching him.

He said he remembered looking at the taximeter and thinking "that was too much". He said he told Mr Maloney he was not paying that and handed him €10 but that the victim replied "that’s it" and jumped out of the car. He thought there was "going to be aggro" and claimed that the taxi driver went for him first.

He said he knew he had "gone over the top" and apologised for the "grief" he caused. He didn’t go out looking for a fight and said that he normally wouldn’t do "that kind of thing".

Det Gda Davern said Creagh had three convictions prior to this matter. Since then, he had 34 convictions which were all dealt with in the District Court and included public order, road traffic and drug offences.

Det Gda Davern told Ms Kennedy that he didn’t realise Creagh had a drug problem since he was 14 years old and added that he denied it when asked specifically during garda interview if he had any addictions.

He accepted that Creagh had taken a considerable amount of alcohol that night, as well as cannabis.

Garda Paul Cornish told Mr Kennedy that Creagh waited by the gates of St Patrick’s Hospital while his accomplice stole items from patient’s rooms before fleeing when confronted by a nurse.

The pair were arrested shortly afterwards after being ejected from a nearby pub and staff found several phones, MP3 players and wallets left behind by them.

Creagh told gardaí that he was planning to sell the phones to buy heroin to feed his addiction.