Courts / Dublin / Report
Youth viciously attacked teen
Summary
Thomas Merrigan, aged 22, was sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of assault causing harm in Sallynoggin on 24 April 2015. The assaults were linked to a dispute over €50 owed for ecstasy pills. Merrigan, intoxicated, cut a large chunk of a 16‑year‑old girl's hair and later punched her 16‑year‑old male friend repeatedly in the head, causing the boy to suffer two seizures and spend five days in the acute care unit of St Vincent's Hospital. The court heard that Merrigan's house contained a substantial quantity of herbal cannabis and plastic bags for drug packaging. He also pleaded guilty to possessing €1,274 worth of cannabis for sale or supply. Judge Martin Nolan described the second assault as "vicious" and at the "middle to high range" of seriousness, and imposed a combined sentence of 21 months for both the assaults and the drug offence.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Youth viciously attacked teen. Charges or matters: two counts of assault causing harm in Sallynoggin on April 24, 2015; possessing €1,274 worth of cannabis for sale or supply at his home on April 25, 2015. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- April 24, 2015 Incident
- April 25, 2015 Incident
- 2018-05-30 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: two counts of assault causing harm in Sallynoggin on April 24, 2015; possessing €1,274 worth of cannabis for sale or supply at his home on April 25, 2015 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Nolan sentenced Merrigan to a combined sentence of 21 months for both the assaults and the drugs offence.
Places mentioned
- Dunedin Park
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Dublin
- Dublin hospital
- Merrigan's house
- St Vincent's Hospital
Topics
Drugs Stage Sentence Violent Crime
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