Courts / Dublin / Report
Jail for man who broke into terminally ill woman's house and beat son
Summary
In 2019 a Dublin man, Graham Stafford, 36, was sentenced to four‑and‑a‑half years in prison for breaking into the home of a terminally ill woman and repeatedly beating her 32‑year‑old son over four hours. Stafford entered the house early in the morning, claiming a family member owed him €3,000. He kicked and struck the son in front of his mother, who was suffering from cancer and has since died. The son reported that Stafford appeared "off his head on drugs" and that Stafford used a large kitchen knife and a Yankee Candle as weapons. Stafford, who had 11 prior convictions for minor drug and public‑order offences, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment in 2015. Judge Pauline Codd described the offence as "heinous", imposed a six‑year sentence with 18 months suspended, ordered addiction counselling and training, and back‑dated the sentence to July 2015.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jail for man who broke into terminally ill woman's house and beat son. Charges or matters: false imprisonment at Corduff Gardens, Blanchardstown, Dublin, on January 24, 2015. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- January 24, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- July 2015 Incident
- 2019-04-08 Publication
Why: At one point he told the injured party he was stopping because the man's mother had asked him to. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: false imprisonment at Corduff Gardens, Blanchardstown, Dublin, on January 24, 2015 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: The judge imposed a six-year sentence with the final 18 months suspended for that period. She backdated the sentence to July 2015, when Stafford went into custody on that matter.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Corduff Gardens
- Blanchardstown
- St Canice's Square
- Dublin
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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