A judge has imposed a 22-month detention order on a teenager for a “horrific, chilling and completely unprovoked” knife attack carried out on a 25 year old man in the west Clare town of Kilrush last June.
At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed the 22-month sentence on the 17 year old for the “frenzied knife” attack on Jeffrey Ryan (25) at Francis Street, Kilrush on June 13th last.
The west Clare accused was 16 at the time of the attack and pleaded guilty to the Section 3 assault causing harm assault of Mr Ryan and in her victim impact statement, Ava Moloney, who jumped to the defence of Mr Ryan, said that the teenager told Mr Ryan ‘you’re dead Jeffrey, you’re dead’ before inflicting several knife wounds to Mr Ryan’s head and body.
Mr Ryan required 80 stitches to his wounds including one 15cm long slash wound to his head and ear that cut through to his skull.
In sentencing, Judge Comerford praised Ms Moloney’s bravery for protecting Mr Ryan on the day when she stood in the way of the accused who was armed with the knife.
Judge Comerford said: “The single biggest reason that it wasn’t worse was the intervention of Ava Moloney where she put herself in harm’s way.”
Judge Comerford said that Ms Moloney slowed down the attack “and if she wasn’t there it may have been dealt with in a different court”.
Judge Comerford described the attack as “horrific” and that it had a profound impact on Mr Ryan.
Counsel for the State, Sarah Jane Comerford BL told Judge Comerford the accused – who cannot be named as he is a child- is allowed to remain at Oberstown Detention facility until he turns 18.5 years before being transferred to an adult prison.
Judge Comerford said that he was imposing the 22 month prison term back-dated to when the accused went into detention at Oberstown Detention facility last June as it would not result in the accused being transferred to the adult prison population next January.
Judge Comerford said that with 25pc remission the accused will be released before he turns 18.5 years.
He said that reports before the court have made very clear that there would be very extreme adverse consequences for the accused if he was to be transferred from Oberstown into an adult prison population.
Judge Comerford said that it would be disrespectful to the human dignity of everyone if the court was to impose punishment on a child where the punishment would result in adverse consequences that the person where he would not be able to function well in society.
Judge Comerford said that a core determination in his sentencing is that the accused would not be transferred to an adult prison.
He said: “I do have to put this weight on helping a child who took the worst possible path to get back onto the right path.”
Judge Comerford noted that the accused had no previous convictions and reports lodged with court state that there is a good chance that the accused will never engage in any offending again. He said that the accused has shown genuine remorse and it has not been done for tactical reasons.
In court the teenager blessed himself after the judge passed sentence. In a letter read out to court last month, the teenager said that he wants the judge to know how much he regrets his actions.
In the letter, the teenager said: “I am sorry for the hurt I have caused…I am a good person who knows right from wrong and I have no intention of getting into trouble or causing harm again.”
The boy’s mother (38) pleaded guilty to assaulting Ava Moloney on June 13th at Francis Street, Kilrush contrary to Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.
Judge Comerford imposed a suspended 15-month prison term on the mother.
Judge Comerford said that the woman came into possession of the knife after the assault by her son rather than before it.
Both Ms Moloney and Mr Ryan are originally from Croom in Co Limerick.
