Louth man who stabbed father and son at his next door neighbours’ party spared jail

By Francis Carroll, The Drogheda Independent

A man who stabbed a father and son after being asked to leave a party taking place next door to his home has avoided imprisonment.

The defendant, aged 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing harm stemming from the incident on May 19, 2020 at a Dundalk housing estate.

A sentence hearing at the circuit court heard that while the accused’s initial engagement with the Probation Service had been poor and he had been assessed at high risk of reoffending, he had made progress subsequently during two-and-a-half years’ probation supervision.

Judge Dara Hayes imposed consecutive 1 year, nine-month sentences on each charge, conditionally suspended for three-and-a-half years.

The defendant had been asked to leave a party next door to his family home. He did so before returning to get cigarette filters.

He stabbed the young man hosting the party and during a scuffle when the victim’s father attempted to detain him until Gardaí arrived, he stabbed this man too.

The younger man required stitches. His father didn’t need hospital treatment. Both recovered and neither wanted to make a Victim Impact Statement.

Judge Hayes said they were unprovoked attacks. It was a serious matter to go with a knife and then use it. Fortunately, the injuries were not more serious.

The accused made some admissions at the time. He had one previous conviction for Section 3 possession of drugs and one for Section 6 public order.

His mother died this year and his father in tragic circumstances when he was aged 9.

The judge continued that aggravating factors were the use of a knife.

The defendant was a child in law at the time.

There were two different victims so the sentences should be consecutive. The court noted “substantial progress towards rehabilitation”.