Courts / Dublin / Report

Jail for woman who attacked garda in court building

Date
2021-05-20

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin City

County
Dublin

Summary

In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 45‑year‑old Jacqueline McElhatton was sentenced for a series of violent offences committed in April and August 2020. In April, she pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Rachel Corcoran at the Criminal Courts of Justice, assaulting a pharmacy employee at Rathmines Pharmacy, attempting robbery on O'Connell Street, and obstructing a peace officer at College Green. In August, she pleaded guilty to assaulting a Brazilian man on O'Connell Street and to assaulting Garda Tara Brennan at Trinity College. McElhatton had 125 prior convictions. Judge Melanie Greally imposed a 15‑month sentence for the April offences and a four‑year sentence for the August offences, to run consecutively. The final two years of the latter sentence were suspended on strict conditions, leaving an effective custodial term of five years and three months. The court noted that McElhatton was on bail for the April offences at the time of the August incidents.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jail for woman who attacked garda in court building. Charges or matters: assaulting Garda Rachel Corcoran at the Criminal Courts of Justice Building, Parkgate Street, Dublin 8, on April 20, 2020; an assault at Rathmines Pharmacy, Lwr Rathmines Rd, Rathmines, on the same date in April 2020; attempted robbery at O'Connell Street, Dublin city centre, and to obstructing a peace officer at College Green, Dublin city centre, both on August 8, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

April 20, 2020 Incident
April 2020 Incident
August 8, 2020 Incident
August 2020 Incident
2021-05-20 Publication

Case subjects

Jacqueline McElhatton

Defendant

Charges: assaulting Garda Rachel Corcoran at the Criminal Courts of Justice Building, Parkgate Street, Dublin 8, on April 20, 2020; an assault at Rathmines Pharmacy, Lwr Rathmines Rd, Rathmines, on the same date in April 2020; attempted robbery at O'Connell Street, Dublin city centre, and to obstructing a peace officer at College Green, Dublin city centre, both on August 8, 2020 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Greally sentenced McElhatton to 15 months imprisonment for the offences in April 2020. She also sentenced her to four years imprisonment for the offences in August 2020 and ordered that this sentence run consecutive to the former sentence.