Des Roche receives suspended sentence for assaulting tenant

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Des Roche pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to his tenant. The proceedings were reported on 16 February 2023.

Judge Martin Nolan suspended a 21-month prison sentence in full, on condition that Roche keep the peace and be of good behaviour for that period. The judge noted that the tenant had not sustained any great injury.

Garda Alan Butler said he responded to a report of an incident at Roche’s Booterstown home on 26 October 2021. The court heard that Roche had found two Airsoft pistols and a rifle in the tenant’s locked bedroom. The tenant was upset that his privacy had been invaded, and the two began to argue.

The tenant told gardaí that Roche was intoxicated and behaving erratically. Roche picked up a knife and turned towards him; the tenant grabbed his hands and tried to calm him. The court heard that the tenant sustained temporary marks on his hands from the knife.

Defence counsel David Staunton said Roche was sincerely disquieted by the imitation firearms in the house. He said Roche had picked up the knife to intimidate the tenant and had no intention of using it or injuring him.