Burglar jailed for attack of 'almost medieval barbarity'

A burglar who cut a number of fingers from an artist’s hand and used knives on her “like a butcher” during a break- in has been jailed for 16 years.

Judge Tony Hunt described James Kenny’s attack on the victim “a talented artist” as “unspeakable, almost medieval barbarity” and said the woman had been left with a constant physical reminder “of the horror visited upon her".

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Kenny (aged 35) pushed his way into the apartment wearing a balaclava and took a number of items before binding and gagging the woman and later attacking her.

He told gardaí he had no reason to attack the woman, had a problem with painkillers and had just wanted to get money.

The woman described Kenny as using the knives on her “like a butcher”. She said she was sliding around in blood and felt her only option at one point was to play dead. She lost consciousness and when she awoke made her way to a local hotel where she collapsed and staff called an ambulance.

The victim needed to be resuscitated on her arrival to hospital and had suffered three deep facial lacerations as well as life-threatening wounds. She had stab wounds to her neck, abdomen and chest.

Her ring finger and little finger had been amputated at joints and her middle and index finger partially amputated. Doctors were able to successfully reattach her middle finger but she lost the other finger portions. Her facial scars are also still visible.

Kenny of Eden Block, Prospect Hill, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary with a knife and machete at another block of the Prospect Hill complex and to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to the woman on September 2, 2009.

Defence counsel, Mr Breffni Gordon BL, said that Kenny had completed a first aid course while in prison and is now studying computer science.

He said his client has now “for the first time, experienced a huge degree of remorse and emotional upset having spent a long period of time trying to work out why he was the person he was at the time of the offence”.

He told Judge Hunt that Kenny had written a letter to the victim.

“He has created a gulf or a void between himself and society. He has lost every relationship he enjoyed, does not see his children and has no contact with the outside world,” Mr Gordon said.

The court heard that the woman is an artist but is now unable to hold a pen. She had an exhibition of her work in St Stephen’s Green in 2006 to some acclaim and had illustrated a children’s book. She had been planning to illustrate a further book before the attack. She has never returned to the apartment.

Kenny has a number of previous convictions for theft and a conviction from 1998 for a serious assault. In that incident he had broken into the home of a 58-year old man with whom he had an issue, tied him up and when the man tried to escape he stabbed him a number of times.

When the man escaped over a balcony he stabbed the man’s partner 10 times. He received a four-year sentence for that offence.

Describing the victim as "a person of considerable abilities and culture", Judge Hunt said that he found the inclusion of a children's book illustrated by her in the book of evidence as " very touching and moving".

He said that due to the "horrendous" injuries inflicted upon her by Kenny, her life was "irretrievably altered and society has been deprived of the talented and cultured person she is.

"Every minute of every day for the rest of her life she will have the physical reminder of the horror visited upon her," he added.

Judge Hunt said he felt it was significant Kenny "knew very clearly what he was doing" during the attack.

When Kenny was arrested, he initially denied any knowledge of the crime but later made full admissions. He told gardaí he had not wished to hurt the woman but just wanted to take a few things and did not know there was someone in the apartment.

He admitted binding and gagging her. He said something then happened to him and he began feeling anger towards the woman and attacked her. Kenny said he had been wearing surgical gloves and a balaclava which he disposed of in a bin.

Kenny described himself as “a wreck” and said he had a problem with painkillers. He said he had taken 16 ‘Nurofen’ and cans of beer. He chose the woman’s block because it was isolated and took the knife to use as a threat. He said he had no reason for the attack.

Gardaí recovered the items stolen from the apartment near an industrial estate indicated by Kenny.

The woman’s victim impact statement outlined that she is also unable to indulge her interest in photography and finds it difficult to manage cooking, household tasks and gardening. She had to give up horse-riding which she had enjoyed. She suffers flash backs and can feel depressed.