Courts / Dublin / Report

"A tear rolled down my cheek as I took what I thought was going to be my last breath,": sentencing of teen (15) who tried to murder woman

Date
2019-03-25

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

In a Central Criminal Court hearing on 25 March 2019, a 15‑year‑old male was sentenced for attempting to murder a 25‑year‑old woman he met on the Whisper social media app. The accused had lured the victim to Dun Laoghaire's water's edge, where he choked her and slashed her neck with a knife. The victim suffered a 10‑cm midline neck laceration that penetrated her trachea, along with injuries to her thumb and arm. She was taken to St Vincent's Hospital, placed in a medically‑induced coma, and underwent emergency surgery. The court heard a victim impact statement in which the woman described the assault, her injuries, and the lasting psychological effects. The judge adjourned the case to 12 April for psychiatric reports. The accused was accompanied by his parents and had previously been in therapy for depression and suicidal thoughts. The case was brought by Paul Burns SC. The court did not disclose the final sentence. The unnamed 15-year-old pleaded guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: "A tear rolled down my cheek as I took what I thought was going to be my last breath,": sentencing of teen (15) who tried to murder woman. Charges or matters: attempting to murder the woman on 23rd December 2017 at Sea Front, Queen's Road, Dun Laoghaire. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

23rd December 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
23rd December Other
17th December Hearing Or Sentence
November 2017 Incident
12th April Adjournment
Christmas Eve Other
2019-03-25 Publication

Why: "I debated whether I was going to die because my body couldn't bear the physical trauma anymore," she recalled. CNI source report

Case subjects

Unnamed 15-year-old

Defendant

Charges: attempting to murder the woman on 23rd December 2017 at Sea Front, Queen's Road, Dun Laoghaire (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: She was reading her victim impact statement at his sentence hearing for her attempted murder, saying she felt that the then 15-year-old was frustrated with himself for not having killed her. "You destroyed my life," she said through tears from the witness box of the Central Criminal Court today.; He then adjourned the case until 12th April, when he will make formal orders in relation to psychiatric or psychological reports.