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Suspended sentence for man who threatened garda with knife and assaulted two others

Summary

James O'Driscoll, 33, of Dublin 1, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to three offences. He admitted to producing a knife and threatening to kill Garda Neil Cepeda at an East Wall apartment complex on February 18, 2012. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda James King at the Mater Hospital on June 29, 2012, and assaulting Garda Shona Moran in Crown Alley on July 5, 2012. Judge Mary Ellen Ring, who had previously adjourned the case to allow O'Driscoll to continue drug rehabilitation, noted that Probation Service reports were favourable. The court heard that O'Driscoll is now drug-free, working as a catering assistant, and fully cooperated with the Restorative Justice Programme. Judge Ring suspended a three-year term on strict conditions. She ordered a report from the Probation Service to ascertain his suitability for the Restorative Justice Programme, which he subsequently completed. The judge described O'Driscoll as reaching a fork in the road, contrasting his significant prior convictions with his current law-abiding path. O'Driscoll, who has 74 previous convictions, was on bail for the first offence when committing the other two. The court accepted that while he over-reacted to a dispute, the incidents did not deter the officers from continuing their duties.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Suspended sentence for man who threatened garda with knife and assaulted two others. Charges or matters: production of a knife during the course of a dispute and threatening to kill Garda Neil Cepeda at an apartment complex on East Road, East Wall on February 18, 2012; assaulting Garda James King in the Mater Hospital on June 29, 2012 and assaulting Garda Shona Moran in Crown Alley on July 5, 2012. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• February 18, 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
• June 29, 2012 Incident
• July 5, 2012 Incident
• 2014-10-28 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report