Man, 30, charged in connection with alleged knife attack on pensioner in Co Louth
A man has appeared in court charged in connection with an alleged stabbing of a 93-year-old man in Co Louth.
James Reilly, of Gort na Glaise, Blackrock, Co Louth, was charged with assault causing harm on August 10.
Mr Reilly, 30, was also charged with being in possession of a stolen phone case and of a public services card of a named woman.
The case has been adjourned pending a bail hearing later this afternoon.
Gardaí were called to the scene at Sandy Lane in the village of Blackrock at around 2.50pm on Saturday afternoon.
They said the pensioner had sustained a number of apparent stab wounds following a suspected altercation with another man.
The injured man was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital where his condition was described as stable on Sunday.
Earlier today, Louth TD Declan Breathnach said more needs to be done to protect the elderly.
He called for mandatory sentencing following the "cowardly" suspected attack on the 93-year-old man in his own home.
Mr Breathnach said he was deeply distressed and annoyed at the spate of knife attacks and continues to press for mandatory sentences for such crimes.
"This deplorable instance is a series of violent crime against vulnerable elderly not just in Blackrock but also across the region (being reported on local radio daily)," he said.
"The problem needs to be actioned not only by An Garda Siochána but also Community Alert and citizens need to report all suspicions and concerns to the Gardaí.
These criminals, often fuelled by drugs and the monies needed to fund their illegal activities, in my view are a wider symptom of what is the cause of abuse of our vulnerable elderly.
"The perpetrators are, in essence, not just deadly thieves but cowards who only challenge those who are viewed as a weak link."
