Man gets five years for 'nightmare' attack on teens

A robber whose attack on six teenage friends was described as "the quality of nightmares" when "two very different worlds collided" has been given five years' detention by Judge Katherine Delahunt.

Jonathan O'Shea (aged 20) of Dominick Street Lower, Dublin 1, stabbed three young men and held a knife to the throats of two young girls while demanding handbags, money and phones from them.

O'Shea sliced the wrist of his first victim with a knife after grabbing the young man's arm and demanding money and then stabbed another young man in the shoulder and abdomen and a third in the shoulder. Two of them had to have stitches inserted in hospital to their wounds.

Judge Delahunt noted that the parents of one of the victims had contacted the Probation Service to indicate they would be willing to partake in mediation with O'Shea. She commended the youngster and his family for their bravery in taking this step.

O'Shea told gardaí he put a knife to the throat of a girl "for the buzz but didn't mean to harm her". He also admitted having a knife and "sticking it in three fellas" and said he attacked them because he was drunk.

He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four robberies and two attempted robberies which took place on Templeogue Road, Terenure on July 7, 2006. He had two previous convictions for public order offences.

Judge Delahunt told O'Shea: "These young people had the misfortune to run into you while you were in possession of a knife, which you showed no fear in using against your victims, who had nothing to defend themselves with."

She described O'Shea's actions that night as being "a succession of very serious attacks on young, unarmed and very vulnerable young people" and added that it was clear his crime had serious physical and psychological consequences on them.

Judge Delahunt accepted that O'Shea had shown genuine remorse but said that a probation report indicated he still insisted that alcohol was to blame.

"I am sure your counsel has made you aware that alcohol will never be accepted as an excuse in this court," Judge Delahunt told O'Shea.

She said she accepted that he had also made "significant steps" to rehabilitate and suspended the last two years of the sentence on strict conditions.

Garda Gabriel Duffy told prosecuting counsel, Mr Ronan Kennedy BL, that a group who were all aged between 17 and 18 years old were walking in Terenure having left a house party when O'Shea and three other men approached them.

O'Shea sliced the wrist of his first victim with a knife after grabbing the young man's arm and demanding money. The teenager pushed him away and managed to hail a taxi which brought him to Tallaght Hospital.

He was later transferred to St James's Hospital where he received 18 stitches during surgery.

O'Shea "shook the knife" at his next female victim and demanded money while pointing the blade at her. She told him she had neither her money nor her phone with her and emptied her pockets to prove it.

He then turned his attention to her friend and pointed the knife to this girl's throat until she dropped her bag. Gda Duffy said the girls were extremely frightened by the incident and hid behind a tree in nearby Bushy Park before they ran into the village where they met up with friends.

The fourth victim was stabbed by him in the right shoulder before two of O'Shea's group held him while he was punched in the face. He broke away but was dragged back and punched again.

The teenager managed to escape a second time and was later brought to hospital where he received stitches to both his abdomen and shoulder.

O'Shea pointed a knife at the neck of the fifth teenager - and third girl - before he cut the strap of her handbag and ran off with it.

The final victim was stabbed by O'Shea in the shoulder while he was trying to rob him.

Gda Duffy agreed with defence counsel, Mr Sean Gillane BL, that O'Shea was known to the gardaí in the area as moving from flat to flat, sometimes living in hostels, drinking on the street and generally "getting up to no good".

He further agreed that O'Shea no longer hung around the area and had moved back to the family home where his mother had a good influence on him and had managed to keep him out of trouble.

He accepted that O'Shea "has since knuckled down" and now has a job working for Bord na Mona.

Mr Gillane told Judge Delahunt that his client acknowledged the seriousness of his crimes and the affect they had on his victims.

He accepted the offences were "the quality of nightmares" and that O'Shea's actions "were not just criminal and serious but had a serious effects on all involved".

Mr Gillane said it represented "two very different worlds colliding" when O'Shea attacked the group of "innocent people".