Judge gives teenager six years for stabbing man at party

A teenager who was refused entry to a 21st birthday party in Ballymun three years ago has been jailed for six years today for killing one of the guests.

Stephen Maughan (aged 19), of St Margaret’s Park, Ballymun, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court earlier this year to the manslaughter of 26-year-old James Donoghue.

On Monday, Detective Sergeant Michael Buckley told the court that Mr Donoghue was stabbed to death shortly after 16-year-old Maughan and two of his friends were turned away from the private party.

Today, Mr Justice Paul Carney told the court the fact that Maughan armed himself with a knife and returned to the party “put a most serious complexion on matters”.

He also said that he had to balance that with the fact that Maughan was 16 at the time of the killing.

The court heard on Monday that the three teenagers had been drinking before making their way to the joint 21st birthday party at a house in the area.

After they were turned away, they threw at least one bottle into the garden and a number of guests chased them away. They caught up with Maughan and one of his friends and punched and kicked them severely.

The three teenagers went home and decided to arm themselves with a number of knives and a stick or baton before returning to the party, the court heard.

They went to a hill overlooking the house and garden where the party was being held and began shouting insults. They were told to 'f**k off' but they didn’t leave.

A number of the party-goers, including the deceased, went out onto the hill, where Mr Donoghue received four stab injuries, explained the detective.

One of these injuries was to the frontal region of the scalp and caused a skull fracture. There was medical evidence that considerable force would have been needed to cause this injury, the court heard.

Another of the stab wounds punctured the heart and severed a coronary artery and this was what killed the 26-year-old.

Maughan later admitted to gardaí that he had a knife at the scene and used it to ‘slash’ James Donoghue across the face. He said he had been given the knife by one of his co-accused.

Maughan has 14 previous convictions, including assault causing harm, robbery, attempted robbery, theft and intoxication in public. He has no employment record.

Mr Justice Carney sentenced Maughan to six years, dating from October 7, 2007.