Courts / Dublin / Report

Violent criminal Coakley gets eight years for brutal scissors attack on doctor

Date
2023-06-19

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Christopher Coakley, 31, with 124 prior convictions, was sentenced to eight years in prison for a pre‑meditated, brutal attack on a doctor in Dublin's north inner city. Coakley approached the doctor, who was travelling on a motorised scooter, and stabbed him repeatedly with scissors, targeting the head, neck, chest and stomach. The victim, a doctor who had never met Coakley, sustained penetrating wounds and required hospital treatment and physiotherapy. CCTV and DNA linked Coakley to the scene, and he was arrested in June 2021. The judge, Mr Justice Paul Burns, noted Coakley's history of drug addiction and early criminal record, reduced the headline sentence of 11 years to nine years with a 12‑month suspended portion, and imposed conditions of medical compliance and probation supervision. The case was originally charged as attempted murder but the charge was dropped after Coakley pleaded guilty to causing serious harm.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Violent criminal Coakley gets eight years for brutal scissors attack on doctor. Charges or matters: intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm at Seville Place, Dublin, on January 28, 2021. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

January 28, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
June 2021 Incident
2023-06-19 Publication

Why: Coakley's repeated offending, the judge said, is driven by the need to fund his drug addiction. CNI source report

Case subjects

Christopher Coakley

Defendant

Charges: intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm at Seville Place, Dublin, on January 28, 2021 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: He described Coakley's actions as callous and brutal and said the premeditation and level of violence meant the offence attracted a headline sentence of 11 years. For the period of the suspended sentence, Coakley will be required to comply with any medical regimen put in place for him and will live under the supervision of the probation service and must meet any requirements they place on him, the judge said.