Courts / Dublin / Report

Man who bit and threatened to kill gardai while on bail gets suspended sentence

Date
2022-02-16

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Leon Travers, 25, was on bail for a 2017 criminal‑damage offence when he bit a garda and threw a fan at another after threatening to kill her. He had earlier pleaded guilty to threatening a garda at a hospital and assaulting a garda at a station in October 2018, and to criminal damage at a service station in September 2017. At the sentencing hearing Judge Martin Nolan noted Travers had no prior convictions and was deemed unsuitable for community service. He was sentenced to nine months imprisonment for each offence, the sentences running consecutively for a total of 18 months, which was fully suspended. The judge highlighted Travers' aggressive conduct in hospital and court, his lack of remorse, and his status as a first‑time offender and father of three. No victim impact statements were made. The suspended sentence means no custodial time is imposed.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man who bit and threatened to kill gardai while on bail gets suspended sentence. Charges or matters: threatening to kill a garda at James Connolly Memorial hospital and assaulting a garda at Blanchardstown Garda Station on October 29 and October 30, 2018; criminal damage at Applegreen Service Station, Clonsilla Road, Dublin, on September 1, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

October 2018 Incident
September 2017 Incident
October 29 Incident
October 30, 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
September 1, 2017 Incident
2022-02-16 Publication

Case subjects

Leon Travers

Defendant

Charges: threatening to kill a garda at James Connolly Memorial hospital and assaulting a garda at Blanchardstown Garda Station on October 29 and October 30, 2018; criminal damage at Applegreen Service Station, Clonsilla Road, Dublin, on September 1, 2017 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: At a previous sentencing hearing, Judge Martin Nolan indicated he intended to impose 150 hours of community service in lieu of a six-month prison sentence for the October 2018 incident if Travers was deemed suitable by the Probation Service. Judge Nolan sentenced Travers to nine months imprisonment each for the offences in September 2017 and October 2018.