Josh O’Brien sentenced to 15 years and six months for attempted murder of ex-girlfriend

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

Josh O’Brien was sentenced to 15 years and six months for attempting to murder his former girlfriend, Niamh Kelly, whom he stabbed 50 times in Dublin in September 2024. The judge suspended the final 18 months of the sentence.

The judge set a headline sentence of 19 years, then reduced it after considering O’Brien’s early guilty plea, immediate admission to gardaí, lack of previous convictions, age and mental health background. O’Brien must attend appropriate probation appointments after his release and must not contact Kelly for five years, including through electronic messaging.