Father and daughter who shot baby jailed
A FATHER and daughter have been jailed for five years for firing the same gun during a family row in which a six-month-old baby was shot in the legs.
Witnesses to the incident described how there had been a verbal altercation between two families, before Charlene Donovan, 23, was heard saying: ‘Daddy, take the gun, take the gun.’
Donovan, 23, fired the first shot across the road, which injured a 17-year-old man, the baby in his arms and that infant’s mother.
Dan Donovan, 49, then took the gun from his daughter, threatened to ‘bury’ Michael Collins and accidentally discharged the firearm into the ground by his feet.
Father and daughter both pleaded guilty to possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life and to recklessly discharging a firearm at Parslickstown Gardens, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15, on December 12, 2017. Dan Donovan, with a former address at Parslickstown Gardens, also pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Michael Collins on the same date.
Detective Garda Michael Parry Jones told the court that Ms Donovan, formerly of Parslickstown Gardens and with an address in Dundalk, Co. Louth, had fired the first shot, injuring the 17-year-old man, the baby in his arms and that infant’s mother. The court heard the injured parties were about four metres away. Dan Donovan then accidentally fired the gun.
Det Gda Parry Jones said he arrived on the scene to see two uniformed colleagues trying to separate the two families. He said the 17-year-old was in one house with his T-shirt pulled up and puncture wounds on his abdomen. He later found out that the baby had been taken to hospital and had surgery to remove shotgun pellets from his legs. He said the baby is awaiting further surgery to have five remaining pellets removed.
In victim impact reports handed in to court, the child’s mother said her baby can walk but is in constant pain. She said he sometimes wakes up with the pain and she has to massage his feet.
Judge Martin Nolan noted that the baby would have ongoing difficulties with his injuries. He commented that ‘whatever about the adults, this child was completely blameless’. Ms Donovan has no record of offending, while her father has previous convictions for minor road traffic matters.
Jailing both, Judge Nolan said there was a history of dispute between the Donovans and the Collins. He accepted the Donovans were in fear and he was sympathetic to Ms Donovan but she had shot somebody.
On hearing the sentence Ms Donovan broke down in tears and was held tightly by her father. Supporters of the family became upset but left court quickly.