A homeless drug user who went into State care at the age of 14 has been jailed for seven years for two violent muggings.
Dylan Murphy (26) attacked an 18-year-old college student while trying to rob him and his 17-year-old girlfriend who had been lying in St Stephen’s Green in Dublin city last summer.
Murphy told the students he was a garda and he needed to check their bags for alcohol and cannabis. When the man stood up and asked to see some garda identification, Murphy punched him in the chest and knocked him down.
The accused then began kicking the victim in the head and chest. Some of the man's teeth were broken during the attack and his face and hands were cut and bruised.
When his girlfriend tried to call for help, Murphy also kicked her. The man then gave his wallet to Murphy, who took the bank card and cash before fleeing the scene.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Murphy was on bail at the time for an attack on a taxi driver two years earlier.
Plea
Murphy, formerly of Grand Central, Sandyford, Dublin pleaded guilty to attempted robbery of the taxi driver at Dolphins Barn, Dublin on September 20th, 2019. He also pleaded guilty to robbery and attempted robbery at St Stephen’s Green on August 2nd, 2021.
Detective Garda Des Rodgers told the court that his 65 previous convictions include convictions for robbery, burglary and assaults.
Defending counsel Keith Spencer BL submitted to Judge Pauline Codd that his client had a tragic background, explaining Murphy's father had been murdered when the accused was seven.
Mr Spencer said Murphy was put into State care in Co Monaghan at the age of 14 and has lived a chaotic, scattered life as an adult, abusing drugs and alcohol.
Counsel said his client does not remember much of the incidents, but was hanging his head in shame on hearing the evidence in court.
He added Murphy wished to make an unreserved apology to the victims and knows what he did was completely wrong.
Judge Codd described both attacks as “vicious assaults”, noting that the young man attacked in the park had to cope with the psychological worry that he might have been infected with HIV during the attack.
The victim said both he and his girlfriend had been traumatised and were left feeling nervous about moving around the city.
The judged took Murphy’s tragic background and entrenched drug addiction into account, noting that he seemed to be a very different person when he was not under the influence of drugs.
She imposed a total operative sentence of eight years but suspended the final year in order to “incentivise rehabilitation”. The suspension was on condition that Murphy engage with the Probation Service and with drug addiction treatment.
The judge backdated the sentence to last March, when Murphy pleaded guilty to the offences.
