Man who held knife to woman’s throat in ‘terrifying and traumatising’ attack jailed for 11 years

By Francis Carroll, The Drogheda Independent

A man who held a knife to the throat of a mother as he demanded car keys to escape from armed gardaí has been jailed for 11 years.

Judge Dara Hayes said that what occurred at Gyles Quay, a popular North Louth seaside spot, on a sunny Sunday afternoon last year was “undoubtedly terrifying and traumatising” for the victim and her young son who witnessed the attack in their home.

James McDonagh (38), Dominic Street, Newry, Co. Down, was on cocaine when he drove a stolen car south from Northern Ireland. He told Gardaí who arrested him at the scene that the drugs “blew the socks of me”.

The defendant, a native of Dundalk with 145 previous convictions on both sides of the border, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, unlawful use of a car, dangerous driving and driving without insurance at Gyles Quay on June 23, 2024.

The circuit court took into consideration further charges including false imprisonment.

A total sentence of twelve-and-a-half years, the final 18 months suspended, was handed down along with a 15-year driving disqualification.

Judge Hayes remarked that the impact of the ordeal would continue for the woman and her nine-year-old son and he hoped that they recovered.

He said it was “deeply traumatic” for a mother to be attacked in this way in front of her son.

Gardaí had been alerted by the PSNI about a stolen white BMW car. This vehicle was located by two officers around 2pm in a carpark at Gyles Quay.

Det Gda Eimear Gallagher in plain clothes and a colleague wearing full uniform approached the car. McDonagh was standing outside the vehicle before getting in.

Det Gda Gallagher identified herself and told him to turn off the ignition. By this stage her colleague was standing in front of the BMW. The engine was being revved and she warned the other officer to get out of the way.

McDonagh took off at such speed that the car was “bouncing” across the potholed surface.

As he headed back towards the main road, a man had to lift a buggy containing a child out of the way to avoid being hit as the car sped past.

It struck a parked van, causing €1,300 damage, before mounting a footpath on which there were pedestrians and collided with a wall.

The driver got out, armed with a large silver knife in one hand and a hammer in the other.

He ran towards Ferguson’s caravan park and into a bungalow where he put the knife to a woman’s throat and screamed for her car keys and money. The woman’s young son came out of his room.

Outside, gardaí could see what was happening. McDonagh, who had blood on his face, only stopped when an armed detective drew his weapon. He ran out and was apprehended 500m away.

In a Victim Impact Statement the woman said she and her family had moved to Ireland hoping for a safe and better quality of life. Her husband had died tragically here.

She spoke of her son screaming for his life and the ongoing consequences of the attack. She felt completely unsafe in her own home.

A probation report detailed that James McDonagh was the second youngest of 13 children. He had a traumatic childhood and spent much of his adult life in prison.

He began using cannabis and alcohol aged 12, heroin at 15 and cocaine at 17. He continued to use illicit drugs in custody where he had disciplinary issues. There were “tentative steps” taken to deal with his addiction.

The defendant had no contact with his two children, and was assessed at “very high risk of reoffending”.

Counsel for the accused said that he was deeply sorry for what happened to the lady. Mr McDonagh instructed that she had no need to worry about him again.

Counsel said that drug debts were involved and an “unwise attempt to deal with them”.

Judge Hayes said that Mr McDonagh had limited control of his vehicle at a busy seaside carpark.

Thankfully, the man pushing the pram had fast reflexes and was able to life it and the child to safety.

The driving caused considerable alarm for members of the public.

The defendant then entered an occupied family home while attempting to flee from Gardaí. He held a knife to a woman’s throat in the presence of her son.

The judge added there were early pleas of guilty, though he was effectively caught red-handed.

A nine-year, 8-month sentence was imposed for aggravated burglary, consecutive to concurrent terms of 2-years, ten months; six months and six months for unlawful use of a car, dangerous driving and no insurance respectively – a total of twelve-and-a-half years.

The final 18 months was conditionally suspended for two years and the sentence backdated to when James McDonagh went into custody on June 24, 2024.