A homeless man who attempted to rob a 16-year-old girl and a 64-year-old man on the same morning has been sentenced to 21 months in prison.
Ross Donoghue (31), formally of Northway Estate, Finglas, Dublin pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted robbery in the Malahide area on June 28th, 2020.
Passing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Martin Nolan said the accused had pleaded guilty, made admissions, and has shown remorse which he would consider as mitigating factors in the case.
He said Donoghue had long-standing addictions and a long record of convictions which were aggravating factors in the case.
The judge said a custodial sentence was warranted and sentenced Donoghue to 21 months in prison which will run consecutive to the current sentence he is serving.
Sinead McMullen BL, prosecuting, told the court that at 10am on the date in question, a 16-year-old girl was out for a walk in the Malahide area. A man walked towards her and said something, but she could not hear what he said as she had earphones in.
The young girl removed the earphone, and Donoghue said: “Give me your phone, or I will stab you.”
The girl tried to run away, but Donoghue blocked her. She again attempted to run away, and Donoghue stumbled and fell, allowing the girl to get away.
Second incident
The court heard a short time later, a 64-year-old man called Robert Ennis was walking in the Malahide area when he saw a man, later identified as Donoghue, running towards him.
Donoghue shouted, “give me your phone”. A tussle occurred, and Mr Ennis hit the accused. Both men fell to the ground, where they continued to tussle.
Donoghue then kicked Mr Ennis in the head several times. Two men rushed to the scene and stopped the altercation, and a third man who knew Mr Ennis drove him home.
The court heard Mr Ennis went to the Garda station a few hours later and made a statement. Mr Ennis had injuries to his face but was cautious about attending the hospital due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gardaí obtained CCTV and identified Donoghue, who was later located at a homeless hostel and arrested. During his detention, gardaí discovered that he was also the suspect in the attempted robbery of the young girl.
A medical report handed into court outlined Mr Ennis suffered mild orbital swelling, bruising and dizziness.
Donoghue said during his interview that he had been robbed by seven or eight men earlier that day and they had taken his mobile phone. He was shown CCTV footage but said he “wasn’t sure if it was him”.
The court heard that Donoghue had previous convictions, the number of which was not disclosed to the court. These included convictions for assault, criminal damage, attempted robbery, possession of drugs and obstruction. He was also on bail at the time of the offence.
Garrett McCormack BL, defending, said his client had pleaded guilty at an early stage and has had long-standing difficulties with drugs. Mr McCormack asked the court to take into account that his client is already serving a lengthy prison sentence.
