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'First one through the door is getting their legs cut off,' - Woman wielded Samurai sword at gardai

Date
2026-07-24
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

A 39-year-old Dublin woman has been jailed for 15 months after waving a samurai sword out of her window at her former partner and gardai, shouting threats such as, 'first one through the door is getting their legs cut off.' She pleaded guilty to three counts of making threats to kill or cause serious harm and one count of producing a samurai sword in May 2021. The incident occurred in the presence of her children, and the court heard that she had made progress in becoming drug-free. Judge Jonathan Dunphy noted the seriousness of the charges and the impact on the children. The woman was also found to have 25 previous convictions, including 21 for road traffic offences. The court accepted that she was in a distressed and agitated state at the time, had mental health issues, and was prescribed antidepressants. The woman's defence highlighted her difficult background and that she was in the throes of addiction on the day of the incident. She has since detoxed from heroin and methadone while in custody and is currently drug-free.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'First one through the door is getting their legs cut off,' - Woman wielded Samurai sword at gardai. Charges or matters: three counts of making a threat to kill or cause serious harm and to one of production of a samurai sword at her home on a date in May 2021. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Case subjects

Unnamed 39-year-old

Defendant

Charges: three counts of making a threat to kill or cause serious harm and to one of production of a samurai sword at her home on a date in May 2021 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: By Eimear Dodd A woman has been jailed for 15 months for waving a samurai sword towards out her window towards her then partner and gardai while shouting, "first one through the door is getting their legs cut off." The 39-year-old Dublin woman pleaded guilty to three counts of making a threat to kill or cause serious harm and to one of production of a samurai sword at her home on a date in May 2021. The judge imposed concurrent sentences totalling two years and three months, with the final year suspended on strict conditions, and backdated the sentence to reflect time spent in custody.

Places mentioned

Secondary Mention
Court Venue
  • Dublin
  • Dublin Circuit Criminal Court

Topics

Drugs Road Traffic Stage Sentence

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