Ryan Carroll jailed for three years over blade attack after littering dispute

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

Ryan Carroll was jailed for three years after Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard he and two other men attacked a man in his Ballyfermot home following a dispute over littering. Carroll pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, criminal damage and trespass while armed with a weapon. The attack took place on 9 August 2022. The proceedings were reported on 14 November 2025.

The court heard that the victim threw litter back at Carroll and his partner after they threw rubbish from their car. An altercation followed in which the man punched Carroll and both men fought. Carroll was driven away by his partner, but returned a short time later with two other men.

Carroll was armed with a long blade. The men broke into the home and slashed at the victim, who suffered serious cuts, including a hand wound that required surgery. Judge Sinead McMullen described the attack as outrageous criminal activity. She accepted there had been some provocation but said Carroll’s response to the initial altercation was grossly disproportionate.

Judge McMullen took account of Carroll’s early guilty pleas, remorse and the fact that the attack was not premeditated when imposing the three-year sentence, which ran from the sentencing date.