Courts / Dublin / Report

On-bail offender who dragged visually impaired girl (11) away from mother gets suspended sentence

Date
2025-07-02

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Tallaght

County
Dublin

Summary

An on‑bail offender, Stephan Obelngoa, 24, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to a fully suspended 12‑month term for assault causing harm, assault of a peace officer and resisting arrest. The offence occurred on 2 October 2023 at The Square, Tallaght, when Obelngoa dragged an 11‑year‑old visually impaired girl away from her mother, threw her into a concession stand, and spat blood and saliva at Garda officers who tried to restrain him. He was pepper‑sprayed and subdued by security guards before Garda arrival. The court noted Obelngoa had six prior convictions, was on bail, and had been unmedicated for six months, suffering from schizophrenia. Judge Ni Chulachain accepted the defendant's guilty plea and the victim's young age, imposed a 12‑month imprisonment term, but suspended it in full on strict conditions, citing a low risk of re‑offending under probation supervision.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: On-bail offender who dragged visually impaired girl (11) away from mother gets suspended sentence. Charges or matters: assault causing harm, assault of a peace officer and resisting arrest at The Square, Tallaght, on October 2, 2023. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

October 2, 2023 Incident
2025-07-02 Publication

Why: The attacker had to be pepper sprayed in order to be subdued. CNI source report

Case subjects

Stephan Obelngoa

Defendant

Charges: assault causing harm, assault of a peace officer and resisting arrest at The Square, Tallaght, on October 2, 2023 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain today handed down an 12-month sentence but suspended it in full on strict conditions. She imposed a one-year imprisonment term to run concurrently on each of the assault charges but in view of the effect prison would have on him, she suspended it for two years on strict conditions.; Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain said that these were very serious offences and had adjourned the matter for two weeks to consider her sentence and read all documents handed into the court.