Courts / Dublin / Report

Six years for homeless woman who slashed man's stomach after he came to her aid

Date
2018-11-06

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

In November 2018, a 23‑year‑old homeless woman, Donna Dineen, was sentenced to six years in prison for slashing the stomach of a man who had come to help her in the street. Dineen, who had previously given birth in custody, admitted to stabbing Saurjan Syergaz, a 27‑year‑old man, with a 25‑cm knife wound on 8 May 2017, and to robbing his wallet on the same occasion. She pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and robbery at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Melanie Greally imposed concurrent terms of six years for robbery and five years for assault, suspending the final two years on strict conditions. The sentence reflected Dineen's unstable background, history of abuse, drug and alcohol dependence, and her expressed remorse and desire to keep her newborn son with her for an extended period while in custody.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Six years for homeless woman who slashed man's stomach after he came to her aid. Charges or matters: assault causing harm of Saurjan Syergaz (27) at St Benedict's Gardens, North Circular Road on May 8, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

May 8, 2017 Incident
2018-11-06 Publication

Why: When arrested, Dineen accepted that she had been asked to leave the Mater Hospital because she was being too aggressive. CNI source report

Case subjects

Donna Dineen

Defendant

Charges: assault causing harm of Saurjan Syergaz (27) at St Benedict's Gardens, North Circular Road on May 8, 2017 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Dineen to concurrent terms of six years for the robbery offence and five years for the assault. At a sentence hearing last July Carol Doherty BL, defending, asked the court to consider a suspended sentence so Dineen could attend a rehabilitation centre where she would be able to keep her baby with her for a further 18 months.