Robber attacked six teenage friends
A robber whose attack on six teenage friends was described as "the quality of nightmares" when "two very different worlds collided" has been remanded in custody pending sentence.
Jonathan O'Shea (aged 20), of Dominick Street Lower, Dublin 1, stabbed three young men and held a knife to the throats of two young girls while demanding handbags, money and phones from them.
He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four robberies and two attempted robberies which took place on Templeogue Road, Terenure on July 7, 2006.
O'Shea later told gardaí he put a knife to the throat of a girl "for the buzz but didn't mean to harm her". He also admitted having a knife and "sticking it in three fellas".
He denied robbing anything but said he attacked the teenagers because he was drunk. He had two previous convictions for public order offences
Judge Katherine Delahunt said there was a lot of things she needed to considered before she revoked O'Shea's bail and remanded him in custody telling him that the matters were so serious he would "get nothing but a prison sentence".
She adjourned the case to allow for the preparation of a probation report so as she could get advice on post-release supervision.
Garda Gabriel Duffy told prosecuting counsel, Mr Ronan Kennedy BL, that a group who were all aged between 17 and 18 years old were walking in Terenure having left a house party. They had split into smaller groups when O'Shea and three other men approached them.
O'Shea sliced the wrist of his first victim with a knife after grabbing the young man's arm and demanding money. The teenager pushed him away and managed to hail a taxi.
The driver took him to Tallaght Hospital but he was later transferred to St James's Hospital where he received 18 stitches during surgery.
O'Shea "shook the knife" at his next female victim and while pointing the blade at her demanded money. She told him she had neither her money nor her phone with her and emptied her pockets to prove it.
He then turned his attention to her friend who was standing with her and pointed the knife to this girl's throat until she dropped her bag.
Gda Duffy said the girls were extremely frightened by the incident and hid behind a tree in nearby Bushy Park before they ran into the village where they met up with their friends.
The fourth victim was stabbed by him in the right shoulder before two of O'Shea's group held him while he was punched in the face. He broke away but was dragged back and punched again.
The teenager managed to escape a second time and was later brought to hospital where he received stitches to both his abdomen and shoulder.
O'Shea pointed a knife at the neck of the fifth teenager - and third girl - before he cut the strap of her handbag and ran of with it.
The final victim was a stabbed by O'Shea in the shoulder while he was trying to rob him.
Gardaí later drove the girls around the area in two separate squad cars. They came across O'Shea and the three young men sitting on a wall on Dodder Park Road. All three victims identified him as the attacker. Their personal items were found behind the wall.
Gda Duffy agreed with defence counsel, Mr Sean Gillane BL, that O'Shea was known to the gardaí in the area as moving from flat to flat, sometimes living in hostels, drinking on the street and generally "getting up to no good".
He further agreed that O'Shea no longer hung around the area and had moved back to the family home where his mother has a good influence on him and has managed to keep him out of trouble.
He accepted that O'Shea "has since knuckled down" and now has a job working for Bord na Mona.
Mr Gillane told Judge Delahunt that the offences were "the quality of nightmares" and said that O'Shea's actions "were not just criminal and serious but had serious effects on all involved".
Mr Gillane said it represented "two very different worlds colliding" when O'Shea attacked a group of "innocent people".
