Courts / Mayo / Report
'Why does he keep assaulting people?': man who killed mother carried out multiple attacks since release
Summary
A man from Castlebar, County Mayo, has been sentenced to six years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for two unprovoked assaults committed in January 2023. Celyn Eadon (31) pleaded guilty to causing harm to two men during random attacks on Malahide Road, Artane. The first victim was struck multiple times while using an ATM, and the second was assaulted on a bus. The offences occurred ten days after Eadon's release from a suspended sentence. The court heard that Eadon previously killed his mother in 2014, a murder conviction later quashed, with a subsequent manslaughter plea resulting in a ten-year sentence. Following release in 2021, he assaulted a support worker. Defence counsel submitted that Eadon has an acquired brain injury from prolonged substance abuse, causing cognitive impairment and loss of behavioural restraint. Judge Martin Nolan noted the court faces an unusual challenge, as the likelihood of further offending remains high despite the permanent nature of Eadon's condition. The final two years of the sentence were suspended, conditional on Probation Service supervision.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Why does he keep assaulting people?': man who killed mother carried out multiple attacks since release. Charges or matters: two counts of assault causing harm to two men in random, unprovoked assaults at Malahide Road, Artane, on January 1, 2023; murdering his mother, Noreen Kelly, in 2014, but this conviction was later quashed, and he pleaded guilty to her manslaughter. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted
When:
- January 1, 2023 Incident
- January 2023 Incident
- 2023-07-14 Publication
Why: He said there had been two unprovoked and violent assaults committed because Eadon "could not control himself basically. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: two counts of assault causing harm to two men in random, unprovoked assaults at Malahide Road, Artane, on January 1, 2023; murdering his mother, Noreen Kelly, in 2014, but this conviction was later quashed, and he pleaded guilty to her manslaughter (Proven)
Plea: Guilty
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; Last year Judge Martin Nolan imposed a two-and-a-half-year sentence and suspended the final 14 months for the assault on the support worker. The judge said Eadon will have this problem for the rest of his life, but it also presents a problem for society and the court in sentencing. "This court is not in the business of preventive detention, but I have to take into account I cannot say it is likely he will not re-offend," said Judge Nolan. "The likelihood, if not probability, is that he will, and the court has to take that into account." Judge Nolan imposed consecutive sentences totalling six years and suspended the final two years on condition that The Probation Service supervise Eadon on his release.
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