Courts / Dublin / Report
Jail for man who attacked neighbours
Summary
Dean Lawlor, 34, of Balbriggan, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assaulting a neighbour on 25 May 2020 after a drink together. He also admitted assault causing harm to another neighbour who tried to help. Lawlor had 22 prior convictions, including threatening and abusive behaviour. The victim woke up bruised, with no memory of the assault, and was taken to A&E. CCTV footage showed Lawlor beating the woman, hitting her face, attempting to smash her head off a counter, and pushing her against a wall. A neighbour and the victim's children witnessed the attack. Lawlor was arrested the next day, initially claiming self‑defence. Judge Martin Nolan accepted the guilty plea and sentenced Lawlor to 40 months' imprisonment, back‑dated to his initial custody.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jail for man who attacked neighbours. Charges or matters: assaulting the woman at her home on May 25, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- May 25, 2020 Incident
- 2022-11-08 Publication
Why: Judge Nolan said there was no clear motivation for what caused the attack and said the woman must have been knocked unconscious at some point because she has no memory of it. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: assaulting the woman at her home on May 25, 2020 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Nolan accepted Lawlor's plea of guilty and expression of remorse and accepted that he is ashamed of himself. "They are bad assaults on pretty defenceless people," he said, before he sentenced Lawlor to 40 months in prison backdated to when he first went into custody last month.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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