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Violent criminal who targeted vulnerable people with knife-attack robberies gets 8.5 years
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, a 48‑year‑old man, Derek Bewley, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for two violent offences committed on the same day. Bewley, armed with a claw hammer, and his 36‑year‑old accomplice, Christine Ward, attacked a 79‑year‑old widower, stabbing him repeatedly and robbing him of €600, his phone, and his car. The widower, now 84, survived the assault and suffered significant physical and psychological harm, including multiple stab wounds, hearing loss, and PTSD. Bewley pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, possession of a hammer, and theft of a wallet. Ward had previously been sentenced to five and a half years for aggravated burglary, with 18 months suspended. Bewley's sentence was reduced by two years to ten years, with 18 months suspended for three years, and he will be supervised by Probation Services for 18 months after release.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Violent criminal who targeted vulnerable people with knife-attack robberies gets 8.5 years. Charges or matters: aggravated burglary at a house in Artane on November 2, 2018, with seven other counts taken into consideration; aggravated burglary, possession of a hammer and stealing a wallet containing €600 during the same incident. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 2, 2018 Incident
- 2024-02-15 Publication
Why: Because he had no car, the victim had to walk from Artane to Coolock village to summon help from his son. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: aggravated burglary at a house in Artane on November 2, 2018, with seven other counts taken into consideration; aggravated burglary, possession of a hammer and stealing a wallet containing €600 during the same incident (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Passing sentence today on Bewley, Judge Orla Crowe said that both accused carried out two offences within three hours against vulnerable persons. Imposing sentence, Judge Crowe said the widower in the case, who had shown nothing but kindness to Ward in the past, had been deliberately targeted in his home with a weapon.
Convicted Person
Charges: aggravated burglary at a house in Artane on November 2, 2018, with seven other counts taken into consideration; aggravated burglary, possession of a hammer and stealing a wallet containing €600 during the same incident (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Passing sentence today on Bewley, Judge Orla Crowe said that both accused carried out two offences within three hours against vulnerable persons. She set a headline sentence for Bewley of four and a half years in prison for the robbery of the visually-impaired man and seven and a half years in prison for the aggravated burglary of the widower, which are to run consecutively.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Little Britain Street
- Dublin
- North William Street
- Beaumont Hospital
- Mater Hospital
- Dublin's North William Street
Topics
Burglary Stage Sentence Theft Violent Crime
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