Courts / Dublin / Report
Suspended sentence for 'extremely violent' attack on couple in own home
Summary
Ben Merriman, aged 22, was sentenced by Judge Melanie Greally at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a fully suspended two‑year imprisonment for assault, trespass and criminal damage committed on 27 March 2018 at a house in Flemington Lane, Balbriggan. The offence involved Merriman and a co‑accused who entered the home in search of the co‑accused's former partner. They threatened the woman's parents, shouted that they would kill her, and forced the door down with a metal bar. Merriman spat in the mother's face, kicked the father while he was on the ground, and the other man struck the father with the metal bar. The court noted Merriman's full‑time employment, stable relationship, and compensation offered to the injured parties. The sentence is suspended on the condition that he keeps the peace and behaves well for two years. No prior convictions were recorded for Merriman. Ben Merriman pleaded guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Suspended sentence for 'extremely violent' attack on couple in own home. Charges or matters: assault, trespass and criminal damage at a house in Flemington Lane, Balbriggan, Dublin. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 27, 2018 Incident
- 2020-10-13 Publication
Case subjects
Accused
Charges: assault, trespass and criminal damage at a house in Flemington Lane, Balbriggan, Dublin (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: She sentenced him to two years imprisonment, but suspended the entirety of the sentence on condition that he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for two years.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Flemington Lane
- Balbriggan
- Dublin
Topics
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