Suspended sentences for pair who attacked Australian tourists

Two young parents who attacked and attempted to rob Australian tourists in order to fund their drug habits have each received two-year suspended sentences at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Rachael Hogan (aged 20) and Keith O’Connor (aged 22), who have 35 previous convictions each, punched, bit and kicked a woman when she refused to give them her handbag.

Hogan, of Railway Street, recently served a three-year sentence with the final 18 months suspended for an assault and robbery in which she held a broken glass bottle to a teenage girl’s neck to force to hand over money, a mobile phone and her MP3 player.

Hogan, and her former partner O’Connor, of Boroimhe Birches, Swords, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery of two Australian tourists at Parnell Street on June 25, 2005.

Garda Mary Murphy said the tourists were leaving the Point Depot when one of them felt an arm around her neck and was dragged struggling down a lane while a male tried to wrestle her bag from her.

The young woman was punched a number of times, bitten on the arm and kicked before her friend came to her assistance and was able to drag her back up the street away from her attackers. The women went back to their hotel and alerted gardaí.

Judge Patricia Ryan suspended the balance of another 12-month sentence she gave to O’Connor for stealing a €250 mobile phone from a woman at Pinnock Hill, Swords, on August 6, 2005. The father-of-one had already served nine months detention for this offence.

Garda Lisa Clarke said the 26-year-old woman was sending a text while walking to her car from work in Hertz Rental in Dublin Airport when O’Connor stole it from her because he was "just bored".

Mr Cormac Quinn BL, defending O’Connor, said his client suffered serious brain injury in a car accident as a five year old and was "dealing" with his drug addiction.