Courts / Dublin / Report

Jail for unprovoked attack on woman walking alone at night

Date
2022-04-27

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, Alan Joyce, aged 27, was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment for an unprovoked assault on a woman outside St Patrick's Mental Health Hospital. Joyce approached the victim on Stephen's Lane, Kilmainham, demanding she be his girlfriend, forcibly embraced her, and after she refused, knocked her to the ground, exposing her breasts. He attempted to mount her, she resisted, kicked him, and shouted for help. Joyce fled, calling her a prostitute and a whore. The victim sustained minor cuts to her breasts, forehead and wrist. Joyce pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, had ten prior convictions, and had been remanded in custody since a bench warrant was executed. The judge described the attack as insidious and unprovoked, noting Joyce's intoxication but rejecting it as an excuse. The sentence was back‑dated to his January custody entry.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jail for unprovoked attack on woman walking alone at night. Charges or matters: assault causing harm to the woman on Stephen's Lane, Kilmainham on June 14, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

June 14, 2017 Adjournment
2022-04-27 Publication

Case subjects

Alan Joyce

Defendant

Charges: assault causing harm to the woman on Stephen's Lane, Kilmainham on June 14, 2017 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: He asked that the court consider suspending a proportion of the sentence on the condition that his client engage with the Probation Services as he said Joyce "could do with the benefit of their guidance in his life". Judge Nolan jailed Joyce for two and half years and backdated the sentence to when he first went into custody in January.; A bench warrant was issued previously for Joyce when he failed to appear for a court hearing and he has been remanded in custody since it was executed last January.