Courts / Dublin / Report

Youth who attacked music teacher with pool cue suffers from treatment-resistant schizophrenia, court hears

Date
2018-11-02

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dundrum

County
Dublin

Summary

Sean Foster, 21, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at St Joseph's Adolescent Unit on 5 January 2015 and at Oak Ward, Phoenix House Care Centre on 7 April 2017. He struck music teacher Dean McEvoy with a pool cue, breaking the cue and fracturing McEvoy's skull and severing a brain artery, causing PTSD. Foster also punched staff member Michael Kelly, knocking out a tooth and requiring €7,500 in dental work. Foster suffers from treatment‑resistant schizophrenia and was an in‑patient at St Joseph's during the first assault. Judge Cormac Quinn sentenced him to 18 months' imprisonment for the first assault, suspending the final six months on conditions of good behaviour, drug‑free status and medical compliance, and to 12 months' imprisonment for the second assault; the sentences run concurrently.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Youth who attacked music teacher with pool cue suffers from treatment-resistant schizophrenia, court hears. Charges or matters: assault causing harm at St Joseph's Adolescent Unit, Fairview, Dublin, on January 5, 2015; assault causing harm at Oak Ward, Phoenix House Care Centre, North Circular Road, Dublin, on April 7, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

January 5, 2015 Incident
April 7, 2017 Incident
2018-11-02 Publication

Case subjects

Sean Foster

Convicted Person

Charges: assault causing harm at St Joseph's Adolescent Unit, Fairview, Dublin, on January 5, 2015; assault causing harm at Oak Ward, Phoenix House Care Centre, North Circular Road, Dublin, on April 7, 2017 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Cormac Quinn sentenced him to 18 months' imprisonment for the former assault and suspended the final six months on condition he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for 12 months post-release, that he follow all directions of his doctors and that he remain drug-free. Judge Quinn also sentenced him to 12 months' imprisonment for the latter assault.