A 23-year-old man facing sentence for assaulting his 75-year-old neighbour had one year earlier repeatedly punched a 17-year-old woman in another assault, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
Dean Quigley, then 21, punched the young woman to the face, pulled her hair and continued to punch her while she was on the ground during a roadside assault on the N11 in July 2018.
The following year he twice trespassed into his elderly neighbour's apartment and assaulted him the second time, telling his victim he would return and kill him if he told anyone what had happened.
The elderly man's daughter found him when she visited five days later, and he was brought to hospital where he remained for a number of weeks being treated for a bleed on the brain which has left him at an increased risk of stroke, ligature marks to his neck and severe bruising to his chest.
Attack on neighbour
At the July sentence hearing the court heard that during the first incident in relation to the elderly man in July 2019, Quigley had kicked and hit the man's door after being refused entry. The man left to tell a neighbour what had happened and Quigley entered his home through the open door, taking a knife from the man's kitchen.
Gardai were alerted and arrived to find Quigley in an intoxicated state.
The man said he felt Quigley must have been waiting for him the second time in October 2019 as he returned home from dinner with his daughter. He said Quigley pushed him inside, telling the elderly man he had “put me in prison”.
He was punched by Quigley to the head, stomach and back and held in a headlock. The man said he thought he was going to die during the assault.
I will now be in fear forever. I don't feel safe in my home
“I don't think I will ever get over this,” said the elderly man in his victim impact statement. “I will now be in fear forever. I don't feel safe in my home.”
“I cannot express how much fear I was in,” said the man. He said he believed Quigley's threat and really thought he would come back again. He said he did not contact anyone and lay in bed until his daughter came five days later.
He said he was in constant fear of something else happening and suffered with his nerves.
Quigley was on bail for the first burglary at the time of the second offence.
Stillorgan Road attack
Quigley, of Temple Road, Blackrock, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to the young woman at Stillorgan Road on July 5th, 2018.
He also pleaded guilty to entering the 75-year-old man's home as a trespasser and committing criminal damage on July 7th, 2019 and entering his home as a trespasser and assaulting him on October 11th, 2019.
Judge Karen O'Connor adjourned sentencing in all matters for one week until December 17, 2020.
Detective Garda Robert Clifford told Garrett McCormack BL, prosecuting, that the young woman made a statement to gardai several months after the assault and outlined that in the early hours of July 5th, 2018 she had been walking along the N11 with Quigley.
She said they had an argument, which turned physical and Quigley punched her a number of times in the face and pulled her hair. He dragged her to the ground where he continued to punch her.
Hoping for passing car
In her victim impact statement, which was read to the court, the young woman recalled wishing for a passing car to stop and help. She said she never wanted to feel that helplessness and fear again.
She attended at a garda station in May 2019 to make a complaint and gave gardai photographs of her injuries which included a black eye, hair pulled out and bruising around her neck.
Det Gda Clifford said Quigley was charged, brought before the courts and pleaded guilty in early course.
The woman outlined in her victim impact statement that she had suffered a “huge decline” in her mental health as a result of the assault. She continues to suffer anxiety and fear.
At a previous sentence hearing last July the court heard Quigley had 12 previous convictions.
Two more convictions
On Thursday, the court heard he has since accrued two more convictions for possession of knives or articles and making a threat to kill or cause serious harm.
Det Gda Clifford with agreed with Marc Murphy BL, defending, that the vast majority of the time Quigley was fine and said when he was sober and not abusing substances, Quigley was quite civil.
Mr Murphy at a previous court hearing in July 2020 told Judge O'Connor that Quigley instructed he was now drug free and was reflecting on what the future may hold away from the cycle of drugs and antisocial behaviour.
Today he said Quigley had written a letter to the young woman expressing remorse. He asked the court to take a “holistic approach” and leave him some light at the end of the tunnel.
