Young Cork man threatened to 'chop woman open and stab her to death', court told

A garda told the court the defendant 'is obsessed with her, and she is terrified of him'

The accused was remanded in custody for sentencing on March 5. File picture: Larry Cummins

A 21-year-old man who confessed to making a threat to kill a young woman where he texted another person saying that she was going to be tied, chopped and murdered, was remanded in custody for sentencing on March 5.

Ruairí Lally appeared at Cork Circuit Criminal Court where evidence was given on the background to the crime and the defendant’s own background.

The messages included such statements as: “I’m going to hurt her badly”. “Chop her open and stab her to death”. 

Defence barrister Elaine Audley said Ruairi Lally had been diagnosed as having severe autism and he pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to the young woman on September 27, 2025, contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.

Previous offending

Detective Sergeant Pat Lyons told the court the young woman had met the defendant through mutual friends and had gone to a concert with him in April 2023, but she became concerned about his behaviour on the night and told him that she didn’t want to see him or have any contact with him.

Mr Lally, of Wainsfort, Rochestown Road, Cork, continued to text her despite her insisting that she didn’t want to hear from him, and in December 2023 she went to gardaí to make a complaint about him harassing her which led to him being charged and convicted of harassing her.

Lally was sentenced by Judge Sinead Behan on July 22, 2024, to two years in jail with one year suspended. One of the conditions of the suspension was that he be of good behaviour and have no contact directly or indirectly with the young woman upon his release from prison.

However, he resumed texting the young woman upon his release from prison and on September 4, 2025, gardaí obtained a civil restraining order at Cork District Court restraining him from having any contact with the woman until September 2028.

Current case

The restraining order had been obtained less than a week before Lally was released from a three-month prison term of the 12-month part of the sentence that had been suspended, and upon his release Lally engaged with the Probation Service.

Det. Sgt Lyons told the court that Lally’s Probation Officer became concerned when he sent her four text messages at 2pm on September 27, 2025, about the young woman, including ones where he said, “I’m going to hurt her badly” and “Chop her open and stab her to death.” 

He later sent the Probation Officer a screen shot of a message that he had typed up but not sent to the young woman in which he said: 

We’re going to hurt you seriously, tie you up and kick you to death, getting you chopped and murdered and enjoy every second of it. 

The Probation Officer immediately made contact with gardaí and three days later on September 30, Lally presented at Togher Garda Station. He was arrested and he admitted sending the messages to the Probation Officer.

The judge asked the detective if he thought Ruairí Lally would have carried out the threats against the young woman and the officer said he wasn’t sure, but that the defendant told him that he wanted to go back to prison and would do anything to achieve that.

“He is obsessed with her, and she is terrified of him,” Det. Sgt Lyons said.

He said that Lally has two previous convictions — one for the original harassment of the young woman and one for possession of a knife when he turned up at Cork District Court during one of the remand hearings on the harassment charge when gardaí found him with the weapon.

Defence mitigation

Defence barrister, Elaine Audley BL, said her client had an ASD diagnosis, had pleaded guilty and in mitigation she pointed out that he had presented to gardaí and made admissions while he also had some insight into his offending and was remorseful for it.

The judge said she had concerns about what supports were available for the defendant upon his release from prison and noted that the young man’s parents were unable to deal with him as he was currently presenting.

“If this man is released from prison without supports, he is going to be in difficulty, the public is going to be in difficulty,” the judge said.