Teen jailed for cutting woman's throat during robbery
A teenager who cut a woman in the throat before taking her car has been jailed for four and a half years by Judge Joseph Mathews at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Wayne McNally, aged 19, from Rosemont Court, Kilmainham and with a previous address at Loreto Court, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Leslie Anne Byrne on January 2, 2003 and to unlawfully seizing her car on the same date outside Manor Villas in Mount Argus, Harold’s Cross.
McNally also pleaded guilty, in a second case, to the unauthorised taking of a car from which shots were fired at a garda patrol car.
He was in the car with Brian Rattigan, aged 23, from Cooley Road, Drimnagh who was jailed for four years after pleading guilty to the possession of a firearm with intent to cause harm and resisting arrest on February 15, 2003 following a high-speed chase through the Bluebell area of Dublin.
Detective Garda Jonathan Kelly told prosecuting counsel, Ms Marie Torrens BL, that two men approached Ms Byrne as she was leaving the apartment with her friend at around 9.30pm after they had spent the day shopping.
McNally grabbed Ms Byrne and cut her in the neck before getting into her car and leaving the scene.
She was taken to hospital for treatment and a victim impact report showed that she had been left traumatised and was afraid to go out at night.
Judge Matthews told McNally that "an innocent young woman" had been left emotionally traumatised as a result of the attack which he described as serious, inexcusable and unjustified.
The judge said that despite the superficial nature of the cut to his victim’s neck McNally was lucky he was not charged with a more serious offence.
Judge Matthews noted submissions from defence counsel, Ms Isobel Kennedy SC, that McNally bore a lower responsibility for the shooting incident than Rattigan.
He had told gardaí he only realised that there was what he called "a f**king gun" after shots were fired from the back seat.
He jailed McNally for concurrent terms of three years on each of the counts in relation to the car hijacking from Ms Byrne.
He ordered that he serve another 18 month term in relation to the second incident which was committed whilst he was on bail for the first.
Judge Matthews agreed to suspend the final six months of the jail term on condition that McNally adhere to a bond to keep the peace for a period of 12 months following his release.
He said he hoped McNally would be given every help in custody to continue the efforts he had made to tackle his abuse of drugs.
