Family knew dad's attempted murderer all their lives; damp cartridges meant gun did not fire

The couple’s 11-year-old son struck the attacker with a kitchen brush, which broke, in an effort to help his father.

By Natasha Reid

A convicted rapist will be sentenced next month for attempting to murder a Wicklow man in front of his wife and children, failing only because the shotgun cartridges he used were damp.