By Fiona Ferguson and Anne Sharkey
A man has been jailed for six years for assaults on his 75-year-old neighbour in his home and on a 17-year-old female a year earlier.
During a roadside attack on the N11 in July 2018, Dean Quigley (23) punched a young woman to the face, pulled her hair and continued to punch her while she was on the ground.
The following year he twice broke into his elderly neighbour's apartment. During the second attack Quigley assaulted him, 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. He was treated for a bleed on the brain and this left him at an increased risk of stroke, ligature marks to his neck and severe bruising to his chest.
Guilty plea
Quigley, of Temple Road, Blackrock, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to the 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 imposed concurrent sentences of two years for the assault on the woman and two years for the July burglary. She imposed a consecutive sentence of six years for the second burglary, and she suspended the final two years on condition that he engage with alcohol addiction treatment programmes.
The court heard that in July 2019 Quigley was drunk when he 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.
Second attack on 75-year-old man
In a statement 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 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.
Out on bail at time
Quigley was on bail for the first burglary at the time of the second offence.
Detective Garda Robert Clifford told Garrett McCormack BL, prosecuting, that in the early hours of July 5, 2018 the woman 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.
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.
Victim impact
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.
Quigley has 14 previous convictions including 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 when he was sober and not abusing substances, Quigley was quite civil.
Mr Murphy told Judge O'Connor that Quigley was using his time in custody quite positively. He said 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.
