DPP manages to increase sentence for burglar who threatened to kill pensioner

A recidivist burglar who assaulted and threatened to kill a 97-year-old woman in her home has had his six-year jail term increased by four years after a successful appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

After gaining access to the victim’s home by offering to tidy her gardens, Paul McDonagh (aged 43) held his hand over the elderly woman’s mouth with such force that it cut her lip and repeatedly told her he was going to kill her. He then fled with the woman’s purse.