A criminal with 124 previous convictions who carried out a "random, unprovoked and brutal attack" by repeatedly stabbing a passing doctor with scissors has been jailed for eight years by a judge at the Central Criminal Court.
Christopher Coakley (31) needed money for drugs when he approached his victim, a doctor who was travelling through the north inner city after work on a motorised scooter.
Coakley kicked the handlebars of the scooter and when his victim fell to the ground, Coakley approached him with a pair of scissors clenched in his fist and tried to take his backpack and scooter.
The victim, who had never met Coakley before, heard his attacker say: "Who the f**k do you think you are, give it to me now or I'll stab you."
When the victim tried to run away, still holding his backpack and scooter, Coakley hit him with the scissors in the head and neck and twice in the chest. The victim tried to run towards Spencer Dock but Coakley followed him and stabbed him a further three times in the stomach.
When members of the public approached and tried to intervene, Coakley ran away and was seen throwing the scissors over a barbed wire fence before CCTV footage showed him heading towards his home at Empress Place.
Premeditated
Mr Justice Paul Burns said that the attack was premeditated and Coakley had shown "breathtaking and shocking" disregard for the injury that could have been caused when he repeatedly stabbed his victim.
He described Coakley's actions as callous and brutal and said the premeditation and level of violence meant the offence attracted a headline sentence of eleven years.
Taking into account Coakley's guilty plea, a letter of apology he wrote and his history of drug addiction, the judge reduced that to nine years with the final 12 months suspended for three years.
The judge noted that Coakley began using drugs and alcohol at an early age and first went into custody aged 13.
Since the age of 16, the longest period Coakley has spent out of custody is six months, the judge said. Coakley's repeated offending, the judge said, is driven by the need to fund his drug addiction.
The judge also noted that Coakley's mother, Paula Coakley is a prominent anti-drugs campaigner.
He said he sympathises with her and others in her community for the difficulty and distress caused by drug addiction but, he said, he also sympathises with the victims of crimes committed by people with addiction problems.
For the period of the suspended sentence, Coakley will be required to comply with any medical regimen put in place for him and will live under the supervision of the probation service and must meet any requirements they place on him, the judge said.
Coakley, with an address at Empress Place, Dublin 1, was initially charged with attempted murder, but the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped that charge after Coakley pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm at Seville Place, Dublin, on January 28th 2021.
Mr Justice Burns took into account charges related to the production of the scissors and attempted robbery.
Hearing
At a hearing earlier this month, Gda Conor Byrne said that the victim is a doctor who worked at Mountjoy Prison in 2021. He had just finished his shift and was travelling along Seville Place in the north inner city at about 4pm when Coakley, dressed in a dark grey tracksuit, attacked him.
Coakley was linked to the attack by CCTV footage and by DNA found on the victim's backpack and jacket and was arrested in June 2021.
The victim was taken to hospital with penetrating wounds to the abdominal wall and chest, a head injury and a wound to the neck. He was discharged the following day but required ongoing physiotherapy.
The doctor estimated his loss of earnings to be €3,850, and he lost a jacket, sweater and backpack that he estimated to be worth €400. His movement was restricted for several months, and he was unable to engage in any physical activity for two months.
In a statement written by the victim he said that he had suffered anxiety since the attack. He said he has become "hyper alert" and lives in a "heightened state of vigilance".
The attack had a significant impact on his decision to change jobs as he wanted to work in an environment where he feels safe and secure.
He added: "I don’t think I will ever forget what happened to me but hopefully with the passage of time I will feel as safe as I did when I first came to Ireland."
Previous convictions
Gda Byrne said that Coakley has 124 previous convictions including for robbery, attempted robbery, assault, theft, carrying weapons, public order offences, criminal damage, misuse of drugs, possession of drugs in prison, threatening to kill and road traffic offences.
Michael O'Higgins SC, for Coakley, told Mr Justice Burns that his client is a native of the North Strand area of Dublin and his mother, Paula Coakley, is "ironically" a prominent anti-drugs campaigner in the community.
She has a number of children, some of whom have done "remarkably well", he said, including one daughter who has a law degree.
Ms Coakley had "made great efforts to keep him [Christopher] on the straight and narrow, but it was not to be," Mr O'Higgins said.
Mr O'Higgins said Coakley started to abuse drugs aged 13 and by 15 was "heavily addicted" to cocaine, alcohol and cannabis. Since the age of 14 Coakley's longest period out of custody is about six months, counsel said.
Besides his drug use, Mr O'Higgins said there is a suggestion from a psychological report drawn up for the court that Coakley may be suffering from bipolar disorder.
Counsel also referred to a letter of apology written by Coakley in which he said he would "really like to apologise to the injured party for the horrendous crime I have committed." Coakley said he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time but is now drug free.
Mr O'Higgins said his client "wants to better himself" having reached a critical age where he must ask whether he wants to remain "perpetually in custody or make an earnest effort to break the cycle".
