Addict kicked and gouged pensioner
A HEROIN addict who attacked an 80year-old man in a church after he tried to stop him from stealing a collection box has been jailed for three years.
David O’Donovan, 41, kicked Robert Duggan in the groin, gouged his eye and stamped on his glasses after the elderly man yelled at him to try and prevent him from interfering with a charity box at St Augustine’s Church in Grand Parade, Cork, in March of this year.
O’Donovan pleaded guilty to assault causing harm in the case.
Mr Duggan went to the Mercy University Hospital after the assault but waited for seven hours without being seen.
He returned the following day after one of the gardaí in the case rang the hospital explaining what had occurred. He was treated for facial injuries.
Cork Circuit Criminal Court was told that Mr Duggan, who volunteers in the church sacristy, noticed that O’Donovan was breaking in to the charity collection box at 8.30pm on March 24 last. He appealed to Mr O’Donovan to cease his actions emphasising he was in a ‘house of God’.
Mr O’Donovan said ‘f*** you and f*** the Church’ before counting down from four to one and kicking the pensioner in the groin. The glasses worn by the pensioner were knocked off when he fell to the ground, and then O’Donovan stamped on them before punching the elderly man in the eye.
The court heard that a Polish woman attending Mass came to the assistance of Mr Duggan and O’Donovan fled the scene.
O’Donovan, of Grenville Place in Cork, was arrested a short time later and taken to the Bridewell Garda station in Cork where gardaí had to suspend their interview for a period and call a doctor as the accused was unfit to answer questions.
The court heard that O’Donovan is originally from Monkstown in Co. Cork and hails from a ‘respectable family’. He has 22 previous convictions all of which he has incurred after the age of 32. Most of his convictions are for public order offences and begging and he has no history of violence.
Judge Seán Ó Donnabhain was told that it was O’Donovan’s first offence before the Circuit Court. His barrister, Nikki O’Sullivan, BL said her client was ‘surprised by his actions’ and was deeply remorseful for his behaviour. The court heard that O’Donovan is an addict who is currently on methadone. He is availing of treatment.
Mr Duggan said in a victim impact statement that he had come across people on drink and drugs at the city-centre church before but never any behaviour of this kind. He said his confidence was knocked by the assault but he loved his volunteer work at the church. He stated that Mr O’Donovan deliberately stamped on his glasses during the assault. When giving evidence he walked to the box with the assistance of a cane.
Judge Ó Donnabhain said it was a ‘violent and cowardly attack’ which was carried out when Mr O’Donovan was ‘high on drugs’.
He stated the assault was only stopped because of the intervention of the Polish lady. He described it as a ‘truly appalling assault’ and jailed O’Donovan for four years, suspending the last year of the sentence.